Naruto: Konoha Shinken
by Azure Dragon of the East
Summary: In 2000 years of history, only one style has stood supreme above all else. Now, after half a century of absence, a new successor walks the land, searching for the answers to his past. adopted from Kyugan.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, Azure here, if you haven't heard, kyugan has given me permission to adopt and continue this story. I will do my best and hope to live up to his expectations.

_Water fell in a tumultuous flood around the valley, slowly eating away at the surrounding rock. On either side of this mighty fall, two figures stood, features carved from the surrounding rock, eye to eye as if in combat._

_Below them, two figures of flesh and blood glared at each other with a passion that could only be compared to those of the statues. They each stood upon the foot of one statue, facing across from the falls, one held in his hands a sphere of rotating blue light, enveloped in a fiery red aura that reeked of some inner, deeper evil. The other, his body warped into some grotesque monstrosity, held in his hands a crackling bolt of lightning._

_Red slitted pupils locked onto red-tomoe encircled ones, as the two figures leapt across the chasm, driven more by what burned within them than by any rational thought._

"_CHIDORI!"_

"_RASENGAN!"_

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter 1: Successor

He awoke with a cry, sweating profusely, his heart thundering in his chest, blonde bangs trailing against his face. "The same dream again," he muttered, holding a palm to his eyes to try and calm himself, shaking sweat from his golden locks, "They've been coming more and more frequently…"

The figure stood from his bed and walked to the window, pushing the shutters open to gaze out at the moon shining down. There was something calming about the Sun's celestial companion, something that, for reasons unknown to him, brought to mind the faint memory of a timid, pale eyed figure with blue hair. But as soon as he reached to draw on the image, it blurred away like all the others.

"Just a dream," he whispered, rubbing the scar over his heart, a jagged patch of flesh that had healed to leave a spiral scar, like a whirlpool, "Just a dream…"

The sound of a shogi door pushing open alerted the teen to the arrival of a massive man with shoulder length brown hair. He stood dressed in a pair of training bottoms and shoes, and held a towel over his shoulder.

"You're awake?" the man asked, looking non-too-surprised, "The dreams again?"

The blonde nodded, subconsciously rubbing the scar as he looked back to the moon, sighing as it was hidden behind a passing cloud. "They've been coming increasingly more often." He admitted, looking up at the sky calmly, "And always seem to fade as quickly as they arrive."

It had been a steadily increasing problem for the man, his sleep constantly been disturbed by irregular flashes of unknown places, sounds and people. The most consistent being a village full of scowls and whispers, and the scene from the waterfall, where two beings clashed with phenomenal power.

The massive brunette nodded, understanding the smaller man's dilemma somewhat, before turning in the doorway and clearing his throat. "I'm heading for the training hall," he explained, "Wash up and join me for morning practice."

"Hai, Ryu-sensei," the blonde replied, bowing respectfully, before turning to the dresser to gather his clothes and bathing utensils.

Settled in the side of a mountain range, surrounded on all sides by rugged paths and forests, the temple was hidden from all eyes but those that knew how to find it. Many people had sought it, either to verify its existence or to wrest whatever treasures had been accumulated within, be they gold or scrolls. All who had attempted such had failed; either due to lack of information, courage or by falling victim to the numerous hazards that surrounded it, both natural and hidden.

Here it was that the two lived, trained and isolated themselves for the sole purpose of perfecting their art.

The scarred man exhaled as he shifted from pushups to a handstand, continuing his regiment with handstand pushups, sweat dripping from his frame onto the floor.

The hall echoed with the sounds of his regular breaths, the statues of wrathful deities gazing down at him in silent testimony of his progress. He recalled the first time he'd laid eyes on them, how he'd felt a shiver run up his spine at those cold, empty eyes, covered with the dust of centuries, looking down upon him. Now they gave silent witness to his progress, watching as he not only met their silent expectations, but surpassed them, as countless others had before.

The man grunted and flipped to his feet, lifting one leg and practiced kicking at his shadow. Sweat continued to fall in droplets, highlighting the toned muscles of his arms and flank. He grimly recalled the state he'd been in when he'd first set foot in the temple, and dimly tried to recall how many years it had been since Ryu-sensei had rescued him from the river.

He shivered at this grim memory, recalling all to well the cold, tumultuous waters that had seemed determined to claim him as their own. His body had been battered, bruised, and his mouth salty from the taste of blood he later realized was his own. He recalled desperate gasps for air, futile pawing with arms that seemed as dull and lifeless as lead, one shoulder absolutely refusing to work after being slammed against a jutting boulder.

Just as he had surrendered though, just as he prepared to sink beneath the unforgiving waters, a pair of massive hands punched through the water, grabbed the tattered remains of his clothes and bodily tore him from the water's grasp, into the light and air he'd so desperately sought but moments before.

Even to this day the blonde marveled at the sheer size and strength of his massive sensei, who stood a good four feet just sitting on the floor, legs crossed. The man claimed he got his physique from his father, if such were the case, then the younger man felt certain he'd never want to meet him.

He finished, exhaling slowly as he lowered his foot to the floor, feeling steam rise off him in small waves. He subconsciously reached up to his chest, wincing at the scar, tracing the ridges almost reverently, not for the first time. His sensei had no knowledge of any attack which could both burn and pierce the skin in such a manner, and so they never spoke of it, simply passing it off as fortunate the river had not claimed him.

'Koryu' his sensei had named him, after the river he'd been scooped out of, though once after training the giant had joked, claiming it also stood for 'Child of Ryu'. For the longest time, Koryu had wondered if there was some hidden meaning in the man's words, for both knew there were no ties of blood between them.

Regardless, Ryu had been master, friend and father to him since bringing him to the temple, had initiated him into the way of his art, and had passed unto him his most precious knowledge.

But recently, the master was growing strangely distant of late, disappearing for long periods of time down the mountain, where Koryu was strictly forbidden from setting foot. Every time he would return, he would resume his duties as master, but Koryu had long learned that any questioning would be ignored, the massive man merely falling silent.

He exhaled again, reaching down for a canteen and towel he'd brought with him, taking a long draught, before pouring a good dose over his head. Shaking his head to clear it somewhat, he dried himself off, rotating his neck to the sound of popping joints.

'Sensei wanted to see me in the main hall.' He recalled, toweling off and heading back to his room, 'I'd best not keep him waiting.'

Ryu eyed the smaller man as he kneeled before him respectfully. Gone were the layers of baby fat which had been prominent in his youth, gone was the look of weakness, a result of the river's harsh treatment.

All that remained of the fragile youth he'd pulled from the water were the blue eyes, the scar over his heart, and the strange, whisker-like birthmarks that graced the once rounded cheeks.

Ryu felt oddly intrigued by the marks, as they had given the youth an almost comical, if not fitting, vulpine appearance. Now full-grown, the markings gave him the air of a full-grown fox, crafty as hell, and ready to fight or flee as the situation arose.

'Not that he will ever need to flee.' The giant thought assuredly, 'Not with the level of skill he possesses.'

"Koryu," he spoke at last, "ten years have passed since I pulled a youth, half drowned and wounded, from the river below."

Koryu nodded, marveling at the sheer amount of time that had passed since that day so long ago.

"Since then, I have taken you in, raised you as both my pupil and son." A glimmer of emotion entered the man's eyes, as he gazed fondly at the blonde, "Your growth has been phenomenal, and I couldn't have felt prouder if you were my own son."

Koryu sat up straighter at this. Ryu was not one to give false praise, for the giant master to admit this much; he must be building up to something important. Ryu looked into the smaller man's eyes and nodded.

"Our art has stood firm for over 2000 years," the giant explained, "And in those 2000 years, each master has surpassed all who came before him." He frowned, climbing to his feet, "But the law of the school dictates that there can only be one master of the style, and that it be passed from master to student, father to child."

Koryu blinked, looking up at his sensei in confusion, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Did you ever wonder why I chose that particular name for you?" Ryu questioned, "I was, at one point, married." He looked saddened for a moment, "My wife was pregnant with our child when she fell in the river, and I was too far away to assist her."

The giant stood silently for a moment, before turning to the youth impassively, "It was no coincidence that I passed the river that day, I come their every day to pay my respects to their resting place." He turned and walked to the doors, massive wrought iron structures which nonetheless could be opened with effort. "Come."

Koryu eyed the surroundings warily, his mind buzzing with the knowledge of what he'd just been told. He had never even dreamed that Ryu had been a father, let alone married. The massive man was the sole constant in the blonde's life, like some immovable boulder in the rapids that had long ago sought his life. The mere thought of him being hurt or atoning for some past weakness seemed inconceivable to the blonde.

He blinked as he noticed that Ryu had come to a halt, noting that they were deep into the mountains which surrounded the temple. The path was littered with pebbles and coarse, thorny bushes, signifying that little more than the local goats frequented these treacherous paths. In front of them lay a pit, circular in nature and a good twenty feet deep.

Before the blonde could even think of questioning the giant, he felt one of the man's massive hands grabbed him by the shoulder, before being lifted off his feet and bodily tossed into the pit, only the blonde's training allowing him to land without injuring himself.

"This will be the final test I will ever give you." Ryu called out, looking down at the confused blonde with his arms crossed, eyes devoid of any emotion, "While I highly doubt you can't climb out of a pit this small, doing so without completing the test will result in failure, in which case, I've been wasting my time."

He stepped on a protruding rock, causing it to sink into the ground and heralding a strange clanking noise. Koryu spun round to witness steel bars dropping into the ground, baring a hole in the wall, from which the sound of low growling echoed. The blonde felt his hackles rise as something began padding towards him with sinewy grace.

Slowly, rumbling low in its throat, the massive Bengal tiger entered the pit, eyeing the blonde warily.

Koryu slowly shifted into a fighting stance, eyeing the tiger warily as it tried to circle him. The blonde refused to let the giant beast take the rear, and so turned to ensure their eyes were locked together.

The beast growled, low in it's throat and tried to break eye contact, only to find it's gaze drawn back to those blue orbs, a stark contrast to its own amber gaze. Letting out another small growl, the big cat changed directions abruptly, eyeing the teen cautiously, as if it were facing another tiger.

Koryu merely exhaled slowly, allowing his aura to slowly flow out with the breath, hands posed to defend himself as he retained a lock on the beast's eyes. Slowly, he allowed his aura to come off him in waves, washing against the sides of the pit like water as he maintained his position, never breaking his gaze away from the tiger's.

The great beast growled low in it's throat, before slowly lowering itself to the floor, placing it's head on it's paws and closing it's eyes, accepting the inevitable willingly and without a fight.

Koryu, still releasing his aura, approached the beast and kneeled next to its flank, running a hand across the striped hide. "Sumimasen." He whispered, before pressing a particular point on the tiger's flank, earning a low rumble from the beast that trailed off as it's heart slowly came to a peaceful stop.

Up on the lip of the pit, Ryu nodded as he watched his student stroke the beast's head, smoothing the fur almost reverently.

'It is never easy,' the giant acknowledged solemnly, watching as the blonde continued his ministrations to the beast's carcass, 'but in doing this, he has proven himself worthy.'

"Koryu." He called out, catching the smaller man's attention, "Climb out of that pit and meet me back at the temple."

And with that the giant sensei turned on his heel, making his way back down the path with the ease of long practice.

Koryu turned to face the wall, prepared to make his escape when something made him pause. Turning on his heel he eyed the peaceful form of the tiger, so calm in death it appeared to be sleeping, lying on the floor where he left it.

'It isn't right.' Koryu muttered, eyeing the once proud beast sadly, 'leaving it to rot here, just for the sake of training.'

Frowning in resolution, the blonde walked over to the corpse, grabbing a fistful of hide and, with a grunt, spun round, hurling the corpse out of the pit. That done, he proceeded to climb out himself, the pit being deep, but far from smooth, thus providing decent handholds to for those who knew where to look.

The corpse was waiting for him as he finally climbed over the edge, still warm but cooling slowly in the mountain air. Koryu grunted as he hefted the beast's massive frame over his shoulder, it's hind legs trailing in the dirt as he began to walk, carefully mindful of his footing, down the winding path.

"I'll see to it you receive a decent burial," Koryu promised, lugging the corpse round the path towards the temple, eyes focused, "Not even a beast deserves to lie forgotten."

"You're late." Ryu stated, frowning slightly as he eyed the man before him, "Don't tell me you had difficulty getting back?"

Koryu shook his head, but refused to elaborate, causing the giant to take in the blonde's frame carefully, before nodding.

"The first kill is always the hardest," he admitted, eyeing a smudge of dirt the blonde had failed to remove from his person, "And it should never become easy, lest you loose that most vital part of your being, your humanity."

Koryu followed his sensei's gaze and inwardly cursed as he noticed the telltale smudge of soil.

"Do not fret." Ryu stated as the younger man flinched, "While I am surprised you chose to bury it, I do not hold your respect for the tiger against you." He nodded, catching the blonde's blue orbs with his own, "In battle, you will face many opponents, some good, some evil, with each, there is always the potential for respect between you." He nodded, rubbing a scar that adorned his neck, a smile coming to his features, "Always recall such fights with care, for a respectful opponent should never be forgotten."

Koryu nodded, glad that he was in no trouble for what might have been considered a moment of weakness, only to blink as Ryu suddenly bowed before him.

"Koryu, with this last test, I have nothing further to teach you." The giant acknowledged, bowing with his head to the ground, "All that is left for you is to hone your skills in the world, carrying nothing but your name and the honor of our school above all else."

The giant raised his head and placed his hands on his knees, eyes solemn yet burning with some inner pride.

"On my honor as the current master of our school," Ryu recited, keeping his eyes on his pupil's, "I acknowledge you as the 66th successor of Hokuto Shinken." He smiled solemnly at the smaller man, a look of pride on his face, "I wish you well...my son."

Koryu bowed to his master, friend and father, and now apparent equal, accepting the title and the respect it carried gratefully and with appreciation. "I thank you for all you have shown me...Ryu-sensei." he lifted his head and smiled at the man, "I will not forget what I have learned."

Ryu nodded, before reaching behind him, pulling a wrapped bundle from behind his back. The material was plain cloth, and whatever lay within it couldn't have weighed much, as it was passed from master to pupil without either seeming surprised.

"Out of all the belongings you possessed when I fished you out of the river, these are all that seemed salvageable." he nodded as the youth began to unwrap the bundle, "They may provide a clue as to your past."

Koryu blinked as something fell out of the bundle, sliding onto the floor with a faint tinkle. Looking down revealed a necklace, composed of two silver lumps and a single green stone, shaped like a crystal. For a fleeting moment, the blonde's throat closed, as a vision of an oddly maternal figure hovered at the edge of sight, the ghost of lips alighting on his forehead, before vanishing as quickly as they came.

Shaking himself, the blonde gripped the necklace firmly in his hand, before turning his attention to the second of the items, tracing the metal that adorned with a strange curiosity. It was a worn, tattered blue headband, the fabric long ruined by the rough treatment it had received from the river and poor treatment. The metal on the headband was edged with rust, dust and dents, but the symbol in the centre proved unblemished by time.

Koryu traced the spiral motif, edged by a semi-triangle, 'a leaf' he wondered briefly, before feeling his breath sweep away as yet another image flooded into his mind. This time it was of a man, relatively young, eyes closed and smiling as the sun rose behind him. A scar adorned the man's face, across the nose and under each eye, and his hair was done up in a ponytail. He felt ghostly fingers ruffle his blonde locks, the smile on the man's face both proud and warm, before both faded from memory.

"Koryu?" he heard his sensei ask tentatively, and became aware of the tears that rolled down his cheeks, blinking in awe as he tried to figure out what could have caused such a thing.

"I...remembered...something," Koryu admitted, shaking his head slightly as the familiar pain surfaced behind his eyes, "Faint images," he recalled, "one woman, one man."

"Your parents?" Ryu asked, looking at the youth in concern, hope and a small measure of unease, only to receive a shake of the head in reply, "You can't tell?"

Koryu covered his eyes with his free hand, the other still holding the necklace tightly, "I felt as though they were important to me...but I could barely make out their faces." he eyed the two articles of clothing carefully, before pulling the necklace over his head, feeling at ease with the stone around his neck.

Ryu nodded, before getting to his feet, "You will rest," he ordered, "Tomorrow you may set out on your journey," he smiled at the shorter man, "Perhaps you will learn of your origins on the way?"

Koryu looked at the headband again, and fingered the green gemstone around his neck, eyes focusing on the insignia with grim determination.

'I will discover what this means.' he vowed, 'And the names of the faces that haunt my dreams.'

Next Chapter:

Koryu sets out on his journey, with little else to his name but the blessings of his master, the clothes on his back, and the enigmatic articles he recieved the night before. Will he receive the answers he seeks? Or will a freak encounter with a pack of bandits cut the lates successor of the 2000 year legacy of Hokuto in his prime?

Koryu: Omae wa mo...Shindeiru.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I...never go back...on my word." The blonde gasped between breaths, before smirking up at the feral looking teen with the hooded coat, "So if you...try to come between me...and the Hokage title...you better prepare...to be beaten like the dog you are!"_

_The feral looking teen responded by summoning to what appeared to be his twin, the two lunging at the blonde, spinning in mid-air to create miniature tornadoes._

_"GATSUUGA!"_

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter 2: Journey.

Koryu tightened his gloves, double checked the latches on his boots and nodded, tucking the necklace under the black t-shirt he was wearing, before pulling on a sleeveless jacket and picking up a duffle bag.

The blonde eyed himself in the mirror one last time, taking in the animal-like marking on his face for what wouldn't be the last time, before smiling resignedly and walking out the door, shutting the shogi panel behind him, the room losing wha little aura of life he had brought to it.

So determined was the blonde's desire to leave without a fuss, that he was completely caught off guard when he found Ryu was waiting for him in the main hall. The giant man was wearing traditional training robes and holding what looked like a cloak in his massive hands, an all-knowing look proving the blonde's suspicions correct.

"I came to see you off." the giant man explained, wrapping the garment around his one-time pupil, smiling softly as the smaller man flinched in protest at the apparent coddling, "Take this as well," he added, handing the shorter man a folded map, "I had to pull in a few favors to get a relevant map of the land, so don't lose it."

Koryu looked up at his sensei gratefully, before accepting the paper and grabbing the man's massive arm in a handgrip. Ryu smiled grimly and returned the action, the two locking gazes, before embracing as only brothers could.

"I will pray." Ryu promised, looking down at his charge as they separated, hands on his shoulders as he regarded him solemnly.

"Not for me." The blonde promised, earning a laugh from his sensei, as well as twin claps on the shoulder, "I'll be seeing you, sensei." he offered in parting, before walking towards the giant doors of the main hall, and down the mist shrouded path of the mountain, out into the unknown, danger-ridden world he had been preparing for.

"May the seven sisters of Hokuto watch over you." Ryu swore, before turning back to the temple, closing his eyes reverently as he lit incense at the shrine, "Was it this hard for you…Kenshiro-sensei?"

Koryu grunted as he sheltered his eyes from the spray, cursing as some got past his guard, causing him to blink rapidly to clear it. "I see you're as savage as always." he muttered, glaring at the offender sarcastically.

The 66th heir of Hokuto had chosen to make a brief side-trip to the same river which had attempted to claim his life all those years ago. The turbulent waters frothed madly as they flowed past, as if angered at his presence.

Turning his back to the river he located the reason for this detour, a small shrine stood within a carved alcove, not far from where he had been rescued, just as his sensei had told him. Two incense candles, sheltered from wind and rain by the alcove, were burning faintly before two prayer tablets, which the blonde regarded respectfully.

"Your husband is doing well." He assured the larger of the two, bowing slightly before it, "And though I never knew either of you, I am glad to have met the man we all came to cherish."

Clapping his hands reverently in front of his face, Koryu bowed once more, placing some mountain plant's he'd picked as an offering, along with one of the tiger fang's he'd liberated from the beast's corpse.

"A gift for the son whose name I inherited." He stated, placing the fang before the smaller of the two tablets, "I ask you loan it to me for a little longer, until I reclaim my own."

With that, he bowed one last time, before turning on his heel and walking down the path, alongside the river. Behind him, the incense candles fluttered slightly, as some gentle breeze passed the shrine.

Several days later...

The captain of the Tsukihime grimaced as he looked out over the waters.

It wasn't that he was nervous about a little bad weather, far from it, he lived for the adrenaline rush only a storm could instill in a man. It wasn't even the suspicious character they'd picked up back at port, the cloaked wanderer with the hood that hid all but his eyes, which watched everyone like those of a hawk.

It wasn't even the fact that the cook was planning on serving fish stew again, though this WAS a relevant cause for concern, given the state of the fish they had left in the larder.

No it was the rumor that something big was going on in the wave country, something that this old sea-dog wanted no part of; something to do with a group of tosei-nin that had set up shop around the border of the now bustling town, making it hard for anything other than trading ships to get in and out.

"Captain?" the first mate asked, catching the older man's attention as he climbed up the steps to the wheel, "There's something about that cloaked guy I don't like."

"Like what?" the captain asked, not looking away from the horizon, a smirk crossing his weathered features, "He turn ya down to harshly?"

The cloaked figure looked in the direction of the mate's spluttering, tilting his head in interest at the man's reaction to the captain's ribbing.

"Hey I'm spoken for!" the mate chastised, getting over his embarrassment and holding up his ring finger to prove it, "To a cute young thing in wave country actually." he added, almost reproachfully.

The captain turned his head slightly, looking pleasantly surprised, "Oh really? How longs this been under wraps?" he asked, "And why wasn't I invited to the wedding?"

"About five years now." The first mate replied, smiling at the ring serenely, "We hooked up the first time we landed in wave," he smiled and scratched his head, "And I didn't think you'd care for that sort of thing..."

"Never turn down a chance for free booze." the captain replied sagely, "Anyways, she must be some lass to be puttin' up with the likes o' you m'lad."

"That she is," the mate replied with a smile, "and I've a daughter waiting for me too."

"How old?"

The two looked up in surprise, noticing the hooded traveler eyeing them with interest. "Um…about four?" the mate replied, looking at the man carefully. He hoped he hadn't insulted the man in some way, in case they were transporting some missing nin.

The figure merely nodded at the response, before reaching into his cloak and tossing something to the mate. "A good luck charm." He called out, "The area I'm from makes them."

The mate blinked, looking down at the thin copper charm before nodding gratefully, "Thank you sir." He said gratefully, feeling guilty at his earlier suspicion, "Will you be needing anything?"

"What can you tell me about the land of waves?" the cloaked figure replied, "It is my first time there and I would like to know what to expect when I land."

"Well," the captain thought pursing his lips, "It weren't so long ago that we avoided the place, cause a' Gato and his thugs setting up shop there." Noticing the look of confusion on the cloaked man's face he frowned, "Ain't you never heard of Gato?"

"I've been out of touch." The cloaked man replied, earning a nod from the captain in understanding.

"Aye, well Gato used to run quite the shipping empire," the captain muttered, "but his main modus operandi was to extort small villages until they'd no choice but to work fer nothing." He spat over the side, "Bastard even hired Nuke-nin from the hidden villages, killing 'em off if they outlived their usefulness."

"Things got so bad that the mayor, Tazuna, who was only a bridge builder at the time mind you," the mate continued "set out to hire a bunch of ninja from Konoha, that's the hidden leaf village to help out."

The cloaked figure flinched at the mention of 'hidden leaf', before shaking his head and motioning for the men to continue.

"Well anyways," the captain rumbled, "Within a week, not only does Gato loose his life, but that old bilge rat Tazuna finishes his bridge and names it after one of the ninja he hired," he scowled slightly and crossed his eyes, "some kid named…what was it?" he wondered, "Something to do with fish."

"Naruto sir." The mate replied helpfully, "He called it the 'Great Naruto Bridge', and it's the largest bridge in the history of the elemental nations."

"Daft thing to name a bridge." The captain muttered, "And whoever heard of a ninja with a name like that? Sounds like some sort of ramen topping." He blinked as he noticed the stranger's sudden silence and looked over, "You okay lad?"

The figure shook slightly, before waving a hand in dismissal, "Just haven't got my sea-legs yet." He assured them, earning a chuckle from the men as they nodded and went about their business, the mate clapping him comradely on the shoulder as he passed.

Landing in port proved a tedious affair, for wave hadn't become the trade centre of the elemental companies for nothing. Each ship had to be escorted in by a small ferry, wherein they were asked to produce the necessary docking permits before declaring their cargo.

Koryu watched the sailors running about from his position on the deck, strategically positioned where he could watch everything that was going on without directly getting underfoot. The blonde had developed a new respect for the foul-mouthed, sure footed men that so nimbly climbed the rigging even in the harshest weather, and marveled most of all at how they could maintain their footing without upsetting their stomachs.

'I shall never like boats.' He swore, knowing it was childish but figuring he was owed a little childishness after what he'd been through, his stomach voicing it's own displeasure, though that might have been from the fish stew.

"Well, that's wave country." The mate called out, catching the blonde's attention as he came down the steps, "And I dare say you'll be glad to be rid of us."

"I'll be content to be rid of this damnable boat." Koryu muttered, looking out at the land solemnly, "I've never really liked water very much."

"The sea can be cruel," the mate acknowledged, "I've seen more good men go over the sides in a storm than I'd care to admit," he looked out to the horizon and smiled, "but nothing can beat the beauty of a clear sky and a smooth sea, especially when the moon shines bright in the sky."

"You should have been a poet," Koryu noted, earning a chuckle from the mate as he scratched his head.

"Aye, the captain tells me such all the time," the man admitted, smiling at his wedding ring, "and it was my mouth that earned my Aya's love, not my muscles."

Koryu nodded solemnly, then looked up as the gang-plan was run down, getting to his feet with a grunt. "I wish you all luck," he muttered, "but I'll die a happy man if I never set foot on the sea again."

The mate laughed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'landlubber', before turning to bark an order up the rigging.

Koryu ran his eyes over the crowds as he passed, keeping his senses on high alert.

For a town apparently under siege, the village of waves seemed to be fairly peaceful. Children ran in the streets, under the watchful eyes of what appeared to be an old healer woman. Traders shouted their wares for all to hear, some even arguing with their customers over the price of said wares.

The blonde watched in aloof amusement as a fight broke out between what looked to be the local fishmonger and blacksmith, the former trying to clout his opponent with a rather poignant smelling tuna, whilst the latter was waving a hammer around with clear intent to bash the other's brains in. From the looks of bemusement on the locals' faces, this was a common ritual and wasn't going to be broken up anytime soon.

Tilting his head to the side to dodge a stray salmon as it flew past, the blonde ran his gaze over the rest of the area, trying to find some clue as to what had drawn him here.

Of all the places he could have gone, this quaint trading village had seemed the most attractive, not for the business prospects or tourism, but simply because it had a history with this so called 'Konoha'. The mere mention of the word sent equal amounts of pain and longing up the man's spine, but the only clue towards it was the headband which, if what he'd gathered was right, all Konoha citizens wore.

The sailors from the arriving ships were mingling easily with the crowd, some having family and/or spouses waiting for them. Koryu allowed a smile to cross his features as he spotted the mate from his own ship scooping up a little girl and twirling her around, whilst a dark haired woman laughed at them, hands on her hips.

"New in town?" a voice called out, causing him to turn and notice the teen that had appeared next to him, dressed in working clothes and a crossbow at his hip, "If you're looking for an inn, there's one that way." he offered, pointing towards a rather plain looking building with shuttered windows.

Koryu nodded in thanks, before turning to walk towards the inn, only to be blocked by what appeared to be men in armor. "Passport papers please." The leader asked, holding out a hand as the others tightened their grip on their spears.

"What's this all about?" Koryu asked, looking at the men warily, earning a careful glare from the two spearmen.

"A precaution," the leader replied, "you don't look like a trader or a sailor, and we can't have any hired thugs sneaking out and alerting the tosei-nin about the defenses." He held out his hands again, "Now, your papers please."

Koryu sighed and shook his head, holding out his hands, "I don't have any," he replied honestly, "nor do I wish to cause trouble, so you may as well take me in."

The leader looked at him inquisitively, before nodding and signaling to the other two, one of whom took hold of Koryu's bag, the other clapping a set of cuffs on him. "Sorry for the trouble Inari-dono," the leader said to the youth, who was looking non-too pleased, "I know you don't like the way things are done, but until the tosei-nin are gone, we can't be to careful."

Koryu froze as the youth's name caused several sparks to dance behind his eyeballs, an image of a bawling child with a hat on his head and grubby overalls coming to mind, before being led away, quickly but not forcibly.

"Can't say we get many like your sort," the captain muttered as he sat at the desk, filling in forms, "Most of the ones we bring in either start ranting about their innocence or demanding a lawyer." He looked across at the silent form of Koryu, as he sat in a lotus stance, meditating in the middle of the cell. The blonde haired man had allowed himself to be locked in without a fuss, and had not moved from the spot since the guards had left.

"Hey, you awake?" the captain asked, looking at the figure in confusion, wondering if it was some ploy to arrange an escape.

"Yes I am," Koryu replied, "I'm merely meditating." He opened his eyes and looked at the guard solemnly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The guard snorted, before pushing his chair within ten feet of the cell and pulling out a notepad, "Well let me see," he muttered, licking his pen, "You say your name is Koryu, and that you're a clan-less wanderer." He ran his eyes down the list, "You say you left the temple you were living in to explore the world, and that you had no intentions of staying longer than was necessary."

"That is true." Koryu replied, nodding his head in agreement "Is there anything else you need to ask of me?"

The guard looked at him in confusion, before shaking his head and snorting in laughter, "If all my 'guests' were like you," he muttered, before shaking his head and nodding as the other guards marched in, "What d'ya want for lunch?"

"I don't wish to be a bother," Koryu replied, "I'll have whatever the rest of you are having."

"Ramen it is then," the guard shrugged, "Hope you like miso, that's all my budget can afford."

Far outside the camp, in an area which had come to be known as the camp of the tosei-nin, the bandits were pigging out and reveling, passing the sake and women around freely, though there was the odd scuffle.

"So tell us Waraji," one of the bandits muttered to another, "How was it you ended up here?"

"Ain't no secret," another mocked, tossing back a sake bottle, "Him and pretty boy ran off with their tails between their legs after Gato bit the dust."

Waraji, a scarred samurai with an eye-patch, growled low in his throat and stood to challenge the man.

"Matté, Waraji." An elegant voice called out from behind, "Do not raise your sword against your brothers."

The scarred samurai winced and turned, eyeing the figure behind him with trepidation.

The man was stripped to the waist, his bare chest a plethora of oiled muscle and scars. His features were cultured and calm, framed by long, black tresses. The only mar being the long diagonal scar that ran across his face and down his collar. A woman graced both his sides, one holding a sake cup to his lips, the other tempting him with a piece of sushi.

"Kidou-sama." The swordsman began, only to trail off as the man held up a hand, silencing him.

"I assure you, Waraji; that I think little of your past with that worm Gato." The man assured the samurai, "Did I not recruit you for your skill? Have you not sworn your loyalty to me, Kidou Genma?"

Waraji nodded respectfully and reclaimed his place by the fire, shooting the amused drunks an annoyed glare. Abruptly, a figure appeared next to the man's tent, causing the attendants to startle.

"Genma-dono," the apparition greeted, bowing his head low in respect, "I have finished my objective."

"As have I!" a large voice boomed, startling the attendants as another figure appeared out of thin air. "Though the assignment was too easy for me!"

"Shiroi Karasu," Genma greeted, eyeing the albino man carefully, before turning his gaze to the massive black man with no pupils, "And Kuro Sasori." He raised a sake cup to his lips and took a sip, "Well?"

"The village patrols can be easily dealt with," Karasu reported, "They change shifts at regular intervals and there is a thirty minute window of opportunity between each change, more than enough time to silence the guards and storm the gates."

"The local militia?" Genma asked, earning a snort from Kuro Sasori that caused him to look at the man.

"They're all shit!" the giant acknowledged, "I could take them all on with only five men to assist me!"

"You say that," One of the men muttered, reaching for a sake bottle, "But last I checked so did Benitora, and he's dead."

Abruptly, the man toppled over, needles imbedded into his eyes, tongue and most of his face and throat, causing him to gag and twist as the poison took effect. "Don't compare me to that weakling!" Kuro Sasori yelled, "That big lummox though that brute strength would be enough to block arrows, and look where that got him!"

He pointed at a head which sat on a pike; the sides were shaved to resemble a Mohawk and several plaits trailed down the back. The face had been decorated with tiger stripe tattoos which would have appeared fearsome were it not for the fact the head's tongue was lolling out and that the eyes had rolled back in their sockets.

"Fool always did lose his head in battle." Genma noted dully, "A fitting end for such a dull beast."

"Genma-dono?" Karasu asked, looking up at his master inquisitively, "Shall I give the order?"

Genma sat for a moment, as if thinking before reaching a conclusion and nodding. "Kuro Sasori." He called out, catching the man's attention, "Gather with you some of the men and take a little stroll," he smiled into his sake cup, "see if you can't lighten the load for those boy's guarding the walls."

The massive black man grinned and held up his hands, needles held between his fingers, "I'll raise the whole place to the ground!" he promised, "Just watch me! C'mon boys!"

Genma watched as the man departed, taking a party of men with him, before raising his cup to his lips, "You have something to say to me, Karasu?" he asked, not looking at the albino man.

"It is not my place to question your methods," Karasu replied loyally, "Though I do wonder as to why you would permit this…open attack."

"You know how bad Scorpion gets if I don't acknowledge him every now and again," Genma said dismissively, "And besides, who better to instill terror into the hearts of men than the most bloodthirsty of beasts?"

"I see," Karasu commented, "You're testing the waters."

Genma smiled and eyed the albino with respect, "Ah Karasu, you always did understand me best," He nodded and took another sip of his sake, "indeed, when one is expecting booby traps, always send the boob in first."

Koryu stared in awe at the bowl of ambrosia that guards had sat into his lap, the thrill of the divine food still echoing on his taste buds.

"Hey, you okay in there?" one of the guards asked, "I think something's up, he took one sip of that ramen and suddenly he's gone out and left the light's on."

Another sniffed his own bowl suspiciously, before taking another cautious sip, "Nope, taste's fine to me." He muttered, tucking into the meal contentedly.

The captain walked over to the cell and eyed the catatonic blonde warily as he tapped on the bars, "You okay in there?" he called out, rapping the bars again for emphasis.

Koryu blinked and came out of his daze, shaking his head to clear it as he stared at the bowl before him in awe, "What…what is this?" he wondered aloud, causing the captain to sweat drop.

"What, you never eaten ramen before?" he asked, scratching his head as the blonde shook his own, "Where you been living all this time, under a rock?"

"On a mountain actually," Koryu replied, and was officially recognized as the smartest man in the room for the next ten minutes, amidst roars of laughter and toasts as the guards drank to his health.

"Y'know," one muttered, slurping up the remainder of his broth, "I feel kinda bad, you sitting there quiet as a mouse and us caging you in like that."

"Think nothing of it," Koryu replied, lifting up another helping of noodles, "You're merely doing your jobs," he nodded at the bowl of apparent ambrosia in his lap, "and you DID feed me."

The guards didn't look too satisfied with this, but neither did they argue with it, turning back to their meal in silence. Just as one looked ready to suggest letting the blonde out, the alarm sounded, setting all hell loose.

"The hells?!" the captain yelled, "What's going on out there?!" He looked out the window using a telescope and blanched, "Oh gods…the gate house is on fire!"

"What's going on?" Koryu called out, looking through the bars in confusion as the guards grabbed their weapons and made for the door, "What's happening?"

"A raid!" a guard replied, pausing in the doorway to point at the blonde, "Now sit there and be quiet!"

Koryu watched as the guards bailed out, before frowning and walking over to the bars, gripping two in both hands and frowning.

'I sense a disgusting aura...' he thought, turning hi head towards the gate house, as his hands began to glow, 'the air is tainted with the scent of old blood.'

"Oh my god..." The guard captain breathed, looking round at the destroyed gatehouse, and by proxy, the massive hole in the village wall. Corpses lay where they had fallen, some twisted into grotesque positions, others grinning manically, and some apparently reduced to piles of quivering flesh and blood. Smoke rose from one particular corpse, as it smoldered away in the signal fire he'd managed to light before being killed.

"What happened here?" one of the other guards whispered, only to flinch as a maniacal laugh deafened all in the area.

"I happened here!"

As one, the guards spun round to face the newest threat, only to shriek as multiple senbon needles penetrated their bodies, causing them to fall over in various forms of death, amidst the cackles of black scorpion, as he seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I am Kuro Sasori of the three colors gang!" the giant man ranted, holding needles between his knuckles, "I have killed over a thousand men with my skills! You ants are nothing!"

Behind the insane assassin, several tosei-nin snickered as they watched the guards writhe in agony, one going so far as to stamp on the skull of one of the guards, smashing it like a ripe melon. "Heh, Kuro Sasori-sama always wins." he bragged, "Makes me glad I decided to come."

"Tell me about it," another agreed, "He always gets the job done, means WE hardly need to do anything."

"Who is the greatest!" Kuro Sasori yelled maniacally, to a rousing chorus of 'YOU ARE!' from his followers, "Naturally! the strong should live! the weak should die! And no-one is stronger than me!"

Amidst the madman's rant, the guard captain coughed and climbed to his feet, having just missed a deadly senbon by a hairs breadth by ducking behind an upturned table. Checking to see if the coast was clear, he turned to run, desperately praying he reached the village in time, only for a crossbow bolt to thrust through his leg joint, causing him to fall to the floor, screaming.

"Humph, one of the rats seems to be still running around." Kuro Sasori muttered, looking at the captain in the same manner one regards a cockroach, before holding up a senbon and letting it fly, "DIE you little shit!"

The poor man closed his eyes as he heard the deadly senbon hurtle through the air like a comet, praying at the very least that it would kill him instantly, only to blink as it abruptly stopped.

'Did he miss?' he wondered, knowing it was ridiculous to even think it, before turning to look behind him, eyes widening in shock, 'What on-!'

Koryu scowled at the stunned onlookers as he held the senbon in his gloved hands. The blonde's cowl had come off his head and his blue eyes glared at the tosei-nin with a steel-like intensity that could rival the finest katana.

"Well now," he muttered, snapping the senbon in half with his grip, not looking at the stunned guard captain as he spoke, "Looks like I'll be able to repay you for the meal after all."

He glared at the men before him, before discarding the remnants of the senbon needle and cracking his knuckles. "Leave now," he ordered, changing hands and repeating the motion, "unless you wish to die."

Next time:

Koryu faces off against Kuro Sasori in his first true fight to the death. Will the self-proclaimed strongest member of Genma's forces prevail against the 66th successor of the Hokuto Shinken ryuu?

Koryu: Omae wa mo...Shindeiru.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Why?" the longhaired teen called out, "Why are you fighting so hard?"_

_"Because you called me a failure."_

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter 3: The legend begins

Koryu looked around at the number of corpses and frowned. "What happened here?" he asked the stunned guard captain, who was staring at him in shock.

"H-how'd you get out of the cell?" the man asked, only to be ignored as the blonde took in the damage.

"KOZO!" black scorpion called out, "You seem to be pretty skilled to grab one of my senbon out of thin air like that!" he grinned and lifted an arm, holding up more, "Care for round two?"

"Kuro Sasori-sama," one of the samurai muttered, "let us handle this, you need not lower yourself to handle trash like this."

That said, the men charged forwards, swords swinging in an attempt to cleave the blonde in two. Koryu merely frowned and shifted his stance, ducking around the blows and stepping nimbly out of reach, making it look like he was dancing around the men, when in actuality, he was dodging them by a hairs breadth, judging their skills.

"Damn he's fast!" the man from before muttered, only to whirl round and assure his master, "Worry not Kuro Sasori-sama! We will-!"

Whatever the man was about to say was cut off as several senbon speared his face, sending him falling to the ground amidst his comrades in a spray of blood.

"FOOLS! WEAKLINGS!" Black scorpion yelled, "None of you were worth living!"

Koryu eyed the fallen men with shock, before turning a cool gaze toward the giant form of Kuro Sasori. "They didn't deserve that." He muttered, eyeing the assassin coldly, "They were following YOUR orders."

The man snorted, waving a hand dismissively, "BAH! 'Following orders' you say? If so then they failed! Did I not order them to kill all that opposed us?" he looked to the remaining men behind him and grinned, "Didn't I order such?"

"A coward's attack."

The tall man scowled and spun round, glaring at the blonde upstart in anger, "Nan-dato?!"

"Sneaking in during the night, ganging up on defenseless villagers was bad enough," Koryu muttered, "But your own men? Unprovoked? From Behind?" he glared at the lanky man condemningly, "A coward's attack."

Kuro Sasori swelled up with anger and lunged forwards, hurling senbon at the blonde in anger, to his amazement, the blonde merely held up a palm, catching them between his fingers as if they were mosquitoes.

"Your technique may be able to kill those who are unprepared," Koryu stated calmly, looking the man right in the eyes, "But my guard is up and will remain up."

Kuro Sasori glared at the man, before smirking and tossing his senbon needles to the floor. "A worthy opponent!" the assassin yelled, "Finally someone worthy of facing my ougi!"

Koryu frowned as the man held his arms at his sides, hands raised as he inhaled, a strange bulge forming at the throat.

"Eat this!" the madman roared, "Secret technique: Hidden justice!"

A hail of senbon launched themselves from the man's mouth, hurtling towards the blonde like hornets barreling out of their shattered nest. Koryu merely growled and crossed his arms in front of his face, protecting his throat and eyes from the deadly onslaught.

'Fool!' Kuro Sasori mocked, 'just one of the poisons that coats my senbon is enough to kill you!' he cackled as he increased the amount of senbon, 'You've sealed your own fate!'

The barrage kept up for about a minute, before finally coming to a halt, Kuro Sasori turning around dismissively. "You see men!" he boasted, "THAT is how you kill a man!"

"Really?"

The madman froze, before slowly turning to follow the gazes of his shocked followers, gazing in disbelief at the figure standing before him.

"Do you always make assumptions based on appearances?" Koryu muttered, lowering his arms, which were miraculously free of senbon, from his face, "What if none of your blows connect, hmm?"

"Impossible!" Kuro Sasori yelled, backing up a step, "N-not one hit?! I saw them hit you!"

"Take a closer look." Koryu muttered, tossing one of the weapons at the man. Kuro Sasori caught the senbon an inch from his own eye and stared in shock at the blunt end which hadn't been there before.

"My art enables my to harden my body until it is like steel," Koryu explained, "such weak attacks mean nothing to me."

He took a step towards the assassin, who was trembling with barely suppressed rage. "You little brat!" the once proud giant roared, lunging forwards with his fists holding more senbon than seemed physically possible, "SHINEE!!!!"

Koryu merely lunged forwards, getting under the surprised assassin's guard and thrusting a finger towards his forehead, stopping the man in his tracks. The two remained in that position for a few seconds, before Koryu stopped and turned his back on the man, walking towards the shocked guard captain.

"OI!" Kuro Sasori yelled, "Where do you think you're going boy!?" He held up his hands and grinned, "I still have to kill you!"

"There is little point in fighting with you," Koryu muttered, coming to a stop in front of the captain, "Omae wa mo…shindeiru."

Kuro Sasori blinked, then began to laugh, a laugh that was picked up by his followers, until everyone was laughing, "Shindeiru? Ware wa shindeiru?" he repeated, "Have you lost your mind boy?!"

"Hardly," Koryu muttered, still not facing the man, "your life will end…now."

Kuro Sasori laughed and reared his hands back, ready to hurl the senbon at the boy, only to pause as something caused his head to twinge.

'What is-?!' he wondered, before screaming as he felt his head bulge and distort, veins pulsing in his head as blood ran down his nose and out his ears. The men that accompanied him stepped back as he tried to stagger towards them, only to scream as the once proud assassin's head erupted in a geyser of blood, teeth, pulped bone and grey matter.

The shocked men looked from the twitching corpse of their leader to the impassive face of his killer and made for the hills, leaving their weapons where they fell.

Koryu stared at the corpse in disgust, before turning his back on it and walking towards the stunned guard captain.

"Sorry I didn't get here sooner." He muttered, patting the man down for injuries, noticing the arrow through the leg, "We'd best get this seen to." He deduced, "Can you walk if I help you?"

The man nodded dumbly, allowing himself to be carried as they made their way, slowly back to the village. 'He killed one of the strongest assassins in the whole bleeding gang in seconds,' he whispered, 'but let himself be taken in quietly?' he shivered, looking up at his former prisoner in awe and terror, 'What IS this guy?!'

"Genma-dono!" one of the men cried out, bursting into the tent only to have the cold edge of a blade pressed to his throat.

"Let him in Karasu," Genma stated calmly, "If he were an assassin, I'm fairly certain he would come quietly."

White crow nodded, bowing his head respectfully towards his master as he lowered the weapon from the man's throat. Free of the threat of death, the man bowed to the ground and gave his report.

"Black scorpion is dead?" Genma wondered, sounding more interested than annoyed, "Well now, it would appear your theories were correct, Karasu."

White crow nodded, "No matter how powerful he may have been, a fool is still a fool." He muttered, "He was unworthy of being a member of your forces."

"Yes," Genma muttered, "Even Benitora managed to take his killers with him, and he was the stupidest of the three." He turned to the messenger and nodded, "And the man that killed him, you say he used some strange martial art?"

The man nodded, "All he did was poke Kuro Sasori-sama in the forehead, but it caused his head to explode!"

Genma quirked a delicate eyebrow upwards, before nodding to white crow, who promptly vanished; "Summon the men," he ordered the messenger, "I think it's time we made our move."

Inari frowned as he listened to the guard's report, sending more men to aid in reinforcing the breach in their defenses. If what he gathered was correct, then that man he'd met the other day must be either a mercenary or Nuke-nin on the run.

Either way, in killing one of the bandits, he'd apparently drawn a line in the sand, a line which Inari wasn't sure the village would be able to protect.

Speaking of which, the blonde had calmly sat to the side, staying out of the way, save to help with the carting of materials for the barricade, which everyone knew wouldn't hold against a serious siege.

"Something on your mind?"

Inari looked up and blinked, as the blonde figure loomed over him, looking as expressionless as stone. The young man shook himself and scowled, looking up at the taller man suspiciously.

"Who are you?" He asked, "The only people with skills like yours are shinobi, but the only ones without any form of identification are Nuke-nin."

"My name is Koryu," the blonde replied calmly, not taking offence at the younger man's suspicions, "Just a drifter passing through," he frowned slightly and looked the mayor's grandson up and down, "We met earlier didn't we?"

Inari nodded, stubbornly looking the man in the eyes, wondering why those whiskers looked so damned familiar. "You say you're just passing through?" he asked, receiving a nod in reply, "Any chance you can stick around to help out?"

Koryu took in the hectic mess that was the defenses and turned back to Inari with a nod, "What do you need me to do?" he asked, earning a snort from the younger man.

"For starters?" Inari asked, "How about helping with the barricades?" he turned over some maps, "We received a messenger bid from Konoha, saying that they're sending out some help," he winced, "but even if they run full speed they won't be here for at least a day, noon tomorrow at least."

Koryu frowned at the mention of Konoha, wondering if they might know something about the bizarre headband he was carrying, but shrugged it off as unimportant as he moved towards the barricades, helping to set thing's up.

Noon heralded the arrival of the tosei-nin, all of whom lined up in organized formation, jeering at the barricades and brandishing their weapons. The assorted guards manning the barricade merely eyed them stoically, armed with crossbows, rifles, and whatever else they could get their hands on.

Some of them had lost friends that morning, others family, some just really hated everything their opponents stood for, all knew for certainty that they'd fight to the last man to keep the tosei-nin from entering.

"They're well organized," Genma commented, standing at the rear with his hands on his sword, "I must applaud them for that at least."

"Genma-dono?" white crow asked, kneeling by the man's side, "Shall I make the first move?"

"Karasu," Genma muttered, "Have you ever known me to wait on ceremony?"

The albino man bowed his head, "No sir."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Genma replied, smirking darkly, "The order is given."

Koryu sat in the lotus since, meditating as he waited for the call to arms.

Word of his defeat of black scorpion had spread, and most of the people had given him a wide berth, either out of fear or respect. A few odd villagers would approach, if only to offer water or food, which were gratefully accepted, but most would merely stare at him like he was some prized gem on display.

A few of the local children had started a game not ten feet away from him, and he was keeping a wary lookout in case the Tosei-nin tried something underhanded.

One of the children, the little black-haired girl from earlier, came up to him and tilted her head to the side, trying to look at his face. Koryu opened his eyes and regarded her with a calm expression.

"Hey mister!" one of the other children called out, "You must be pretty strong huh!"

Koryu looked up to see the children had come up behind their friend, and were eyeing him with the awe of youth, "Can I help you?" he asked, looking at them patiently.

"We heard you beat Kuro Sasori!" one of the others called out with stars in his eyes, "He's really strong, so you've got to be stronger!"

"Kuro Sasori was only strong because he picked on the weak." Koryu countered, "True strength comes from within."

The children gazed at in awe, the girl from before blushing slightly, causing him to look at her again, "Your father is the mate of the Tsukihime isn't he?" he asked, "What's your name?"

The girl flinched and looked away, earning a look of confusion from the man until one of the others tugged his cloak. "Her names Yue sir," the boy replied, "But she can't talk."

"Something happened when she was little." One of the others chipped in, "She's been mute ever since."

Koryu frowned, noting the look of discomfort on Yue's face as the others spoke on, before nodding and beckoning her to come closer. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he looked into her startled eyes and smiled reassuringly.

"This won't hurt a bit," he promised, before pressing two points on either side of her skull, sending a faint tingle throughout her body.

"Hey…what'd you do to her?" one of the boy's asked, eyeing the man suspiciously as Yue felt her head carefully, "You better not have done something to her!"

"Just a little magic trick." Koryu assured the boy, noting the childish jealousy in his gaze, "In time her voice will return to her."

The children looked between Yue and Koryu in confusion, before looking at the man in awe, "Magic? COOL!" they yelled, and began clamoring for another display.

"Koryu." A voice called out, causing the blonde to look up into the mildly flushed face of Inari, the mayor's grandson, "Something's going on at the barricade, come on!"

Koryu nodded, and with a last look at the stunned children, hurried off at the man's side, eyes settling into a cold, flint-like state.

"W-what the devil?!" Inari yelled, seeing the barricade burst and burning, the tosei-nin pouring through the hole in an almost orderly fashion. The bodies of the defenders lay were they had fallen, several sliced to ribbons, all looking absolutely shocked in death's embrace.

Koryu scowled as the bandits stood apart, and three men stepped forwards. One was a samurai with scars, tattoo's and an eye-patch; the other wore a hat over his long grey hair and wore a baggy top. They stood on either side of a man with long black hair and a scar that ran diagonally down his face and under his kimono.

"Kidou Genma," Inari muttered, hoisting his crossbow at the trio, "Leader of the Tosei-nin, used to be some hot-shot samurai until his clan lost their power."

Koryu nodded, eyeing the trio as they came to a halt, a good distance away from them.

"Ah, Inari," Genma greeted, waving a hand dismissively, "Still as ruthless as I remember, I suppose I have you to thank for what happened to Benitora?"

"Tiger hunting isn't my thing normally," Inari replied, "I'm a fisherman at heart, but I'll be damned if I let you bastards take what's ours!"

Genma sighed and shook his head, "Now really, is this any way to conduct business?" he muttered, "I would think that washed up old drunkard you call a grandfather would've at least taught you manners."

Inari loosed a bolt from his crossbow at the man, only for it to be cut down by the guards before it even reached Genma, who smiled at him. "A little touchy are we?" the leader of the bandits called out, earning a round of sniggers from the men, "Ah well, that is to be expected."

"You have one chance to leave with your lives." Koryu called out, looking over the laughing men calmly, "I suggest you do so now."

Genma eyed the blonde with a careful gaze, before nodding in understanding, "You must be the one who killed Kuro Sasori." He noted, "Quite a feat from what I can say." He tilted his head, "What say you? Care to switch sides?" He held out a hand, "Tell me your name."

"I value my name." Koryu replied, eyeing the man coldly, "I don't give it to scum."

Genma's face grew dark as he lowered his hand, the two swordsmen on his sides growling, "I see," he muttered, before snapping his fingers, "Kill him."

Waraji and Zoori lunged forwards, the taller of the two grinning maniacally as he charged towards his prey. The larger of the two samurai reached the man first, and moved to vivisect him, only for the man's heel to connect with the samurai's head. As he stumbled past, Zoori attempted to cleave him from behind, only for the man's heel to swing round like a wrecking ball and send the shorter of the samurai sprawling to the side.

The two straightened up shaking their heads to clear them, before glaring at the man as he glared at Genma as if they weren't there.

"Don't screw with us!" Waraji yelled, leaping forwards again, sword raised to slash down at the man's shoulder, only to freeze up as his head began to bulge and distort, Zoori's following suit not long after.

The last thing the taller samurai saw before his head exploded, was the whisker like marks on the blonde's face.

"MASAKA!" he yelled, "YOU! YOU'RE THAT-!"

Koryu didn't even look away from Genma as the two samurai died in an explosion of blood and grey matter. He kept looking straight ahead at the leader of the bandits, who watched the death of his guards with mild disinterest.

"The same fate awaits any who attempt to pass me." Koryu muttered, eyeing the suddenly nervous bandits coldly, "Leave."

Genma eyed the corpses of Waraji and Zoori and raised a delicate eyebrow, "An interesting technique." He noted, as if commenting on the weather, "You're obviously a practioner of the martial arts." He shrugged lightly, "Well no loss, there are plenty of guards out there."

Koryu scowled as he noted the calm in the man's eyes, before eyeing the surroundings carefully. Something seemed off, he kept getting the feeling something was flitting around him.

"Last chance to reconsider," Genma offered, noting the resolution in the blonde's eyes, "No? Too bad."

Koryu blinked as he sensed something apparate behind him, he caught a fleeting shock of white hair before something slashed his neck, not deep enough to prove dangerous, but enough to draw blood.

"You're fast." The figure called out, revealing a solemn looking white crow, kneeling beside Genma respectfully, "Turning to avoid the blade even as I struck." He eyed the blonde warily, before nodding, "I am sorry for this," he offered, "But it is my duty to kill you."

The albino assassin held up a hand with a bladed tonfa, the light catching on the blade as he held it to his face.

"Kakugo."

Next chapter:

Koryu faces off against the legendary assassin white crow. Will this master of highspeed assassination techniques take down the weilder of Hokuto Shinken? And will Genma simply sit back as his servant fights alone?

Koryu: Omae wa mo...Shindeiru?


	4. Chapter 4

_Pain, that was all the girl could recall. She had fought so hard to prove herself, but no matter what, her cousin had struck her down, even going so far as to cut off her chakra, stripping her of her ability to strike back. To top it all off, the same cousin had struck her heart with a blow that, most certainly, had been meant to kill._

_As her eyes shut from the pain, she dimly noted a head of golden, spiky hair gazing down at her, blue eyes wide with concern._

"_N-Naruto…kun…"_

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter 4: Pure eyes.

"Hinata." Aburame Shino called out, snapping his female comrade out of her daze. "Please stay alert, we have entered wave country."

Hinata nodded, activating her byakugan to ensure they weren't being followed. The four-man cell known as team Kurenai were en route to wave country, having been closest to the hotspot than any other team. They were to expect backup in the form of Team Gai later, but for now the reconnaissance team figured it would be best to scope out the situation and help out if possible.

"Man," Kiba whined, riding atop his childhood friend/pet Akamaru, "we only just finished a mission a while ago, these damn bandit attacks are seriously pissing me off."

"According to the village's report," Kurenai noted, "This is like no ordinary gathering of thugs, seems as though some former Samurai has been grouping them together to handle all the dirty work."

"Samurai," Kiba snorted mockingly "Didn't those relics die out already?" he shrugged, "I mean come on, the only people that even use 'em nowadays are Daimyos and lords."

"Precisely why those that go rogue are so dangerous." Shino replied, catching the groups attention "A wise man once compared samurai to sharks, they CANNOT stop moving, because to do so means death." He stared ahead, tree line rushing by overhead, "It will not be easy to dissuade them."

Koryu rubbed his fingers on the wound and eyed the blood, rubbing his fingers together as he eyed the pale skinned man at Genma's side. "And you are?" he asked, eyeing the albino carefully.

"Shiroi Karasu." Genma introduced, "My assassin, my friend." He nodded to the kneeling man, "He will send you to hell."

Koryu frowned and eyed the corpses of the village guards analytically. "You killed the men here, didn't you?" he asked, earning a nod from the albino, "All of the men look like they were sliced by a light, swift weapon, and unlike the others, you have an obviously discernable aura."

White crow tilted his head slightly, a look of interest crossing his normally calm features. "You notice much," he complimented, "No one has been able to deduce this much from just observing."

"Those who cannot discern their opponent's skill deserve death." Koryu replied calmly, looking the man in the eyes "That is one of the teachings of my school."

"A very…direct creed," White Crow noted, "Had we met under different circumstances, I would have liked to learn more." He hefted his weapon again and nodded, "Let us continue."

Koryu nodded and moved into a fighting stance, hands positioned at waist and chest height, fingers pointed towards white crow, his feet relatively close together. The stance was the standard stance of the Hokuto Shinken School, one that both invited the opponent to attack, and enabled the practitioner to respond in due course.

The two eyed each other for about a minute, before white crow blurred into motion, entering within striking range of Koryu's fists with uncanny speed. Koryu responded by shooting out a fist to strike the man on the shoulder, only for several slashes to rain up his arm. The blonde grunted and spun round to kick at the albino, only to receive the same results.

"Muda-da," White crow called out, "My movement's cannot be tracked so easily." He swerved in mid-air to take the rear, "Prepare yourself."

The albino assassin struck at the blonde's neck, only to leap back as a knife palm strike to the throat almost severed his windpipe. Koryu followed through with a high kick that forced the assassin to back away, blinking as the front of his kimono received a tear.

'Fast.' Karasu deduced, landing back and watching as Koryu moved back into his stance, 'And strong as well, he seems in perfect alignment.' He stood up, eyeing the man respectfully. "I applaud you," he stated, "not many have been able to follow my movements, much less strike back at me."

"You are well trained." Koryu replied, "Your movements are quick, and your reflexes are highly trained, you are a credit as an assassin."

"My thanks." Karasu replied, "That said, I have every intention of winning this fight." He held out a hand, a single sakura petal held between two fingers, "Please, prepare yourself."

Koryu watched as the albino assassin blew on the petal, sending it out into the air. As he watched, the air became saturated with an aura of power, and the petal seemed to multiply, until a veritable blizzard surrounded him. "My Ougi," Karasu's voice called out, seeming to echo from all directions, "Ouka Mugen Kairo."

Koryu frowned as the petals encircled him, cutting off all senses at once. All he could see was a wall of pink; all he could hear was the wind rustling the petals. Even the air was saturated with the scent of sakura blossoms. He flinched as another vision flashed before him, wondering why on earth he'd recall a broad forehead framed by pink locks, before sighing gratefully as the bizarre apparition vanished.

'Something tells me that's ONE memory I could do without.' He muttered, 'though I can't for the life of me tell why.' He shook himself, before eyeing the blizzard warily, 'His presence is completely gone, could this be the 'ninjutsu' that sensei warned me about?'

"What are you looking at?" Karasu called out, his shadow appearing through the petals to the rear. Koryu struck out with a spin kick, slicing the shadow in two and revealing it as a cluster of petals, "Heh, kochi-da."

'He's replacing himself with afterimages.' Koryu noted, having just punched through a log 'Is this the infamous Kawarimi?' His eyes widened s Karasu lunged towards him, having gotten under his guard.

"Owari da." The albino stated, blurring into motion, appearing behind the blonde, a cross-shaped wound appearing on his chest, "Hia Jyuuji Retsu Yoku Zan!"

"Koryu-san!" Inari yelled out, as the blonde's blood sprayed through the air, "Teme!" he swore, pointing the crossbow at the albino assassin, "You'll pay for that!" He launched the bolt, only to be cut down before it even reached the assassin.

'Dammit!' Inari swore, eyeing the laughing bandits angrily, 'if he had a guy this strong on his side…why'd he put off fighting for so long?!'

"Well," Genma noted, eyeing the kneeling blonde contemptuously, "that was easier than I thought, Kuro Sasori must have been a bigger idiot than I thought." He smirked at Inari, "Ready to surrender? Inari-kun?"

Karasu, ignoring the conversation between the youth and his master, eyed the fallen halves of the bolt impassively, before turning his attention to his opponent. "That was my ougi," he relayed, eyeing the kneeling fighter carefully "What did you think of it? I can tell you avoided a fatal injury, be assured that next time I'll aim for your heart."

Koryu raised a hand to the wound on his chest, wiping some blood on his fingers. He raised the blood to his lips, tasting it, before spitting to the side. "Go ahead," he stated, getting slowly to his feet, "I allowed this fight to drag on, because I wished to experience your fighting style."

Karasu blinked as the man got to his feet, the wound on his chest having apparently stopped bleeding. 'Impossible…' he muttered, 'either my eyes are playing tricks…or the wound is healing!'

"I credit you on your skills," Koryu continued, "as an assassin you are spectacular." He held up three fingers, "However, there are three reasons you cannot defeat me."

Karasu tilted his head, "Oh really?" he asked, looking a little amused, "Care to back up those words?"

"The first is conviction." Koryu stated, "You battle because you believe you owe Genma a debt of servitude, this blinds you to your own path, and thus hinders your skills."

Karasu flinched, a disgruntled look crossing his features as the blonde continued.

"Second," Koryu stated, "While your speed is impressive, your strength itself is nothing worth noting." He eyed the man's weapons carefully, "were it not for your weapons you'd have never landed a blow against me."

Koryu then moved into his stance from before, his body leaving afterimages as he looked into the assassin's eyes. "Thirdly," he stated, "In over 2000 years of history, there has existed no style that could defeat mine." He frowned, gesturing for Karasu to approach, "Need proof? Then come at me with your Ougi."

"Fool," Genma snorted, "he survives Karasu's ougi and believes he's something special." He shook his head, "I'll admit he's impressive, but Shiroi Karasu is a flawless assassin, this match is over."

"You're wrong." Inari stated, earning the older man's attention, "I may not have known Koryu-san for long, but I can already tell that there's more to him than what we see." He shivered as a hint of nostalgia ran through him. "I don't know why," he admitted, "but there's something about him that just lets me know he's going to win."

"Madness." Genma snorted, "If you have time to daydream then you'd best set about gathering more men to guard the wall." He smirked at Inari's rage, "Even IF that fool wins, he doesn't stand a chance against my army."

"You shouldn't be so presumptuous." Karasu chided, before dashing forwards again, "It will lead to your death!"

He swiped at Koryu, only for the man to dodge, as if flowing with the blow. Karasu kept up the assault, attempting to behead the man, only to find he'd backed off considerably. "Doushta?" the albino queried, "Show me your skills, or is dodging all your kempo is good for?"

"I told you told you," Koryu replied calm as could be, despite the hectic dodging "Come at me with your Ougi like before, I want you at full strength."

Karasu frowned for a moment, before sighing in resignation, "As you wish…" his eyes snapped open as the cherry blossoms filled the air, "so it shall be!"

"Ougi!" Koryu heard as the scenery was once again replaced with a wall of swirling pink blossoms, "Ouka Mugen Kairo!" "Doushta?" Karasu called out, his voice echoing from all directions, "Are you stunned? Was all your words just a bluff?"

Koryu didn't reply, merely moving into a stance and closing his eyes, the sound of the swirling petals dieing down to nothing. Slowly, the blonde exhaled, his senses sharpening slowly as he waited for Karasu to make the first move.

"There is no need to put up such a front." Karasu called out, "When facing a skilled opponent, there is no dishonor in admitting you are outclassed." He lunged forwards, weapons at the ready as he made to take the man's back, "Todomeda!"

Karasu's blades careened towards the blonde's neck, only to halt as his eyes widened, a flash of movement hurtling towards him. 'Bakana!' he swore, as something smashed into his midriff, his ribcage snapping from the impact 'His senses should be dead!'

The assassin launched backwards, his ougi dissipating as he slammed into the remains for the wall, coughing out blood. Koryu stood on one leg, hands on the ground, the other leg posed in a rear kick, having sent his opponent soaring.

"Hokuto:" Koryu stated, eyes looking forwards calmly, like some immovable deity, "Musou Insatsu!"

Climbing to his feet, the 66th successor to Hokuto Shinken turned to face his opponent, his stride calm and reserved. "I told you," he stated, my fighting style is the strongest Ansatsuken. Intrinsically, it is the fighting style of assassins, no one is capable of sneaking up on me."

Karasu coughed, looking up at the blonde feebly, reaching for his weapon. "Mada...da." he panted, trying to stand up even as his ribs screamed in protest "I'm…not…finished!"

"Enough." Koryu stated, "I felt your ribs break when I kicked you." He pointed at the man authoritatively, "I avoided your tenketsu on purpose, so you won't die as long as you get some proper medical treatment."

"Why…" Karasu gasped, "Why…didn't you finish me?" He struggled to his feet, eyes ablaze, "You…pity your enemy?!"

"Your eyes are pure." Koryu replied, "And unlike your master and colleague, you follow a code of honor." He nodded towards the village, "I heard as much from the villagers."

"Villagers?" Karasu coughed, earning a nod from his onetime opponent.

"An old woman who lives near a sakura tree in particular." Koryu replied, causing the albino's eyes to widen in recollection.

Flashback

"_Please!" and old woman begged, standing before a sakura tree that grew near her house, "This tree is all I have left of my family! Please don't cut it down!"_

"_Outta the way ya old besom!" a thug yelled, savagely backhanding the woman, "Kido-sama sent us to collect your debt, and if you can't pay with money, we'll take what's precious to ya!"_

_He raised an axe, only to flinch, then fall apart in a spray of blood, his fellow bandits looking around fearfully._

"_Such trash." Karasu muttered, wiping his blade clean, "To destroy a thing of beauty is abhorrent to me, search around for valuables, leave the tree as it is." He bowed to the woman, "I apologize for the actions of my men, please do not fret, we will not be long."_

End flashback

"That was not the only occasion," Koryu added, looking into the amazed albino's eyes, "Out of all the bandits, you were the only one who kept some semblance of morality and humanity. You kept bloodshed to a minimum, and avoided involving civilians if you could avoid it."

The blonde nodded, looking down at the man as the sun shone behind him, "You are an honorable warrior Shiroi Karasu;" he stated, holding out a hand, "you do not deserve such a death, without having first experienced life."

Karasu blinked, recalling how Genma had saved him all those years ago, tears of gratitude actually forming in his eyes as he reached a hand out to his former opponent. Suddenly his eyes widened, and with a cry of "Abanai!" he lunged forwards, shoving Koryu out of the way, taking the crossbow bolt meant for the blonde in the stomach.

"KARASU!" Koryu yelled, spinning round to glare death at Genma, who stood behind several archers, armed with crossbows.

"You were useless, Karasu." The former samurai muttered, "All you managed to do was scratch his belly."

Karasu gasped, pulling out the bolt and wincing, collapsing to his knees from the pain. "G…Genma…dono." He gasped, "A-after all…I've done for you…you betray me…like this?"

"Betray?" Genma muttered, "Is it betrayal when a the master throttles the bird that can no longer fly?" he snorted, "Your Ougi was crushed, Karasu, I have no need for a bird that had lost it's wings." He nodded to the archers, "Kill them."

'So this is how it ends.' Karasu sighed, closing his eyes as he readied himself for death, the sound of launching arrows firming his resolve 'Koryu-dono…I was honored to have fought you.' He blinked as he sensed a presence before him, staring in disbelief as Koryu leapt before him, hands outstretched. "Koryu-dono!" he called out, "Move! There is no need for you to die!"

"HAAAAAAAH!" Koryu yelled, his hands blurring into motion, suddenly grasping all six arrows between the gaps in his fingers. "Hokuto!" he called out, hand spinning quickly, "Hashi Shinkuu Ha!"

The archers screamed as their arrows were sent flying back at them, striking them in the eyes, throat and mouths respectively. The other bandits stared at their fallen comrades in horrified disbelief, some actually backing off or making for the hills with cries of 'Monster!'.

Genma, either from disbelief, fear, or some combination of the two, stared down at the corpses in shock, before looking into the enraged eyes of the blonde, shivering at the death that stared back at him. "Who are you?" the former retainer snarled, knuckles whitening as they tightened around the sheathe of his katana, "Who in the hell are you?!"

"Your death. Koryu replied calmly, a deadly calm that reminded all of a sea, just prior to a hurricane tore through.

"We're getting close!" Kiba called out, "Akamaru senses bloodshed up ahead, looks like the village is under attack!"

Kurenai frowned, sending a silent nod to her teammates. Team Gai had caught up to them a while back, the energetic, bushy browed jounin having insisted they run full speed until they reached wave. Naturally, Tenten and Neji had been dragged along in their teammates 'youthful' idiocy, the former shaking her head exasperatedly, and the later hiding behind the Hyuuga mask of indifference.

"YOSH!" Gai yelled, "We should pick up the pace Kurenai, or we could arrive too late!"

Kurenai nodded, and signaled for her team to speed up, falling into line with Kiba in the lead, Kurenai behind him, Hinata between Lee and Gai, with Tenten and Neji bringing up the rear, the older Hyuuga taking the weight off his cousin's back by taking up her role of scout with his Byakugan.

"My death?" Genma repeated, chuckling darkly, "You certainly like to talk don't you?" He drew his sword, smirking at the man the entire time, "Do not mistake me for that weak little crow, I guarantee I won't go down that easy."

Koryu didn't reply, merely stepping forward, face solemn. Behind him, White Crow could only look on as the two opponents drew near. He moved to get to his feet, only for the arrow wound to bring him to his knees again.

"Easy there." Inari muttered, putting a hand on the wounded albino's shoulder, "You've got a damn hole in your stomach, take it easy."

The albino stared in shock as his former enemy moved to bandage his wounds, a look of confusion on his weary features. "Why?" he asked, earning a snort from Inari.

"Koryu-san seems to see some good in you." Inari noted, "Besides, that old woman's still wants to thank you."

Karasu's eyes widened, before turning to look back at the two opponents.

"Well?" Genma called out, nodding towards his opponent, "Aren't you going to move into a stance?"

"I only do so when facing a strong opponent," Koryu replied, "quite frankly you aren't worth the effort." He glared at the man, eyes taking on a metallic tint, "The only thing I will show you…is the path to hell."

Genma scowled, before smirking, eyes shut as ne snorted, "Such confidence." He praised mockingly, "You think mere martial arts can defeat me?"

His eyes snapped open, letting out a guttural growl that developed into a yell. His muscles expanded, rib cage expanding outwards as he apparently grew about a foot, so much so that his katana almost resembled a wakizashi.

"Behold!" Genma called out, "Thanks to my Ankoku Tou Kikou Jutsu, my strength in multiplied tenfold!" He grinned as his men backed off, having never seen him this angry before, "You think your martial arts can defeat me now? Be at ease, despite your insolence I shall ensure you don't suffer."

Koryu raised an eyebrow, taking in the change in appearance before frowning, "As I thought, you truly are weak."

"Nani?" Genma growled, looking insulted, "Care to repeat that?" he stated, holding the katana up threateningly.

"No matter how much it is multiplied…" Koryu stated, clenching his fists, "Nothing will always remain as nothing." He glared at the man, noting the increase in muscle mass contemptuously "You think bulking up your muscles with chi will enable you to defeat me?"

He inhaled, before letting out a low growl, which developed into a yell as his muscles expanded, his shirt stretching past it's limits before being ripped to shreds as his ribcage expanded outwards. Genma stared at the teen in shock, as the destroyed garment fluttered around like fallen leaves, the whirlpool-scar over the blonde's heart causing him to take a step back, veins bulging as he sensed the fear in his heart.

"You…you…!" the former samurai growled, before lunging forwards sword at the ready, "WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!"

"HAAAAAH!" Koryu yelled, smacking the blade out of the way before stepping towards Genma, looking right into the madman's eyes as his hands seemingly mutliplied as they struck out at insane speeds.

" -HOWATCHA!"

Genma fell over backwards, his sword landing at his side as Koryu turned on his heel, turning his back to the long haired man. The samurai felt himself in confusion, before breaking into mocking laughter. "All that and you couldn't even make a scratch?!" he crowed, climbing to his feet "I told you! In this form I am unstoppable!" he raised his sword above his head. "Now turn around and face me!"

"No." Koryu countered, not even deigning to look at the man, "There is no point if fighting…Omai wa mou…Shindeiru."

Genma snarled and went to bring the sword down on Koryu's head, only to flinch, a sudden spasm shooting through his body. "N-NANI-RRGH!" he managed to croak out, as his body twisted, bulged and contorted grotesquely.

"Hokuto:" Koryu called out calmly, as Genma exploded in a fountain of blood guts and gore, "Hyakuretsu ken." He walked towards the wall, as the remaining bandits turned tail and ran, tossing aside their weapons as they made for the hills, screaming for mercy.

'Such power!' Karasu wondered, staring in awe at Koryu as he walked towards him, 'he defeated Genma as if he were no ore than an ant, yet faced me as if we were equal!'

'This guy!' Inari wondered, staring into the face of the blonde in wonder, 'How can any man have that much power?'

Koryu stopped before them, kneeling down to assess Karasu's wounds. "You should be fine." He noted, "Inari-san, are there any healers in the village?"

"H-hai!" Inari noted, "We may not have medic-nins like the shinobi do, but we're no slouches in the medical field."

"This village is the trading epicenter of the shinobi Islands." Karasu added, coughing weakly, "It has access to all the latest items of trade, from medicine to silks, which is why our gang targeted it."

"Save your breath." Koryu ordered, supporting the injured assassin as he helped him to his feet, "Inari-san, help me carry him back."

Inari complied, smirking all the while as he did so, "Man," he muttered, "I dunno why, but for some reason I feel like some promise has been kept." He admitted, earning a look from the blonde. "Years ago, I made a promise with this guy from Konoha. He said he'd come back if we ever needed a hand." He snorted, shaking his head in amusement, "You kinda remind me of him."

Koryu frowned, an image of a blubbering little boy in a hat entering his memory, blinking as something ran down his cheek.

"Koryu-dono?" Karasu wondered, causing the man to look at him, "Why are you crying?"

Koryu blinked, feeling his face with his free hand, staring at the tears in shock. 'What is this?' he wondered 'Why am I crying?' He shook himself, before turning his attention towards the mob coming towards them.

"It's nothing."

And there you have it, another chapter.

Will Koryu stick around to meet the team from Konoha? Or will he disappear before they arrive?

What of White crow? What fate awaits for the only survivor of the three colors gang?

Koryu: Omai wa mou...Shindeiru.

Notes:

Kempo: Martial arts.

Hokuto: Ursa Major, otherwise known as 'The North Star'

Musou Insatsu: Nil-thought Shadow kill. (Not only limited to kicks, it's the ability to attack your opponent without knowing where they're at: For example, if they attack from behind or your blind spots, and you instinctively strike out and nail them.)

Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken: North Star Hundred Crack fist (If you don't know this, stop reading this fic right now.)


	5. Chapter 5

"_I'm going."_

_Pain, confusion, betrayal, all emotions that swam through the mind of the blonde youth as he gazed into the twisted features of the boy he'd considered more than a friend, a brother in spirit if not by blood._

"_And if you try to stop me..." The other stated, gripping the blonde's wrist with strength not his own, the joint cracking fiercely, "I'll kill you."_

_Pain. Thrown through the air courtesy of a punch to the stomach, falling into the water below, only to rise spluttering to the surface._

"_Everything that we've been through," the blonde ground out through clenched teeth, "All of that means nothing to you?"_

_Silence was his only response, before the raven-haired youth spoke, eyes shut. "It wasn't worthless," he admitted, "you've become…"_

_The teen's eyes opened, red with twin tomoe circling the pupil._

"_My closest friend."_

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter 5: Parting waves.

"Are you sure we can't convince you to stay?" Inari asked, bandaged up as he stood before the village gates, eyeing the cloaked form before him, "You'd be more than welcome."

"I cannot stay too long in one place," Koryu replied, face neutral as he regarded the young man before him, "Besides, what your village needs now is craftsmen to rebuild, not warriors that only know how to destroy."

"Got that right," Inari winced, eyeing the damage to the wall painfully, "Looks like we'll be needing those Konoha nin for guard work at least, though after what you did to Genma, I doubt any of his rats will dare set foot here again."

"It is best to be prepared," Koryu agreed, "in future, it would be wise to ensure that you keep a tighter watch on your borders."

"About that." Inari recalled, "Karasu left earlier, right after being treated actually." He shook his head, "Said something about being 'unable to accept aid from those he'd wronged' or something like that."

"The white Crow's path is a mysterious one." Koryu quoted, nodding his head towards the forest, "however, Crows always travel in groups, if I see him I doubt there'll be trouble."

With that, the two shook hands, Inari grinning at the man, wondering why the stranger put him so much at ease. Behind them, the townsfolk had gathered to see the stranger off, the Mayor, Tazuna, leaning on a cane as his daughter supported him.

"Are you sure you should be out here father?" Tsunami asked, as her elderly father began to cough, "Maybe we should head back."

"Bah!" the old man barked gently, "I lived trough an assassination attempt from Gato's thugs, a little fresh air won't kill me." He eyed the broad back of his grown grandson and smiled, "Besides, if I'm to set an example for Inari, I can't miss seeing off the man who helped save us." He winced, trying to focus on the man's features, despite the sun, "Just wish my eyes were what they used to be."

"I'd best be off," Koryu stated, grasping Inari's hand one last time, before turning on his heel and walking off, only to blink as a shrill cry called out to him.

"KORYU-SAN!"

The man turned, gazing at the small figure that was standing apart from the crowd, gasping for breath, as if she'd run the whole way.

"Y-Yue-chan?" Inari wondered, eyes wide as he took in the gasping girl, the other children lining up beside her, "She…she spoke?"

"Koryu-Ni-chan!" the children called out, running up to the man and tugging at his cloak, much to his surprise "You're not really leaving without saying goodbye right?! You just got here!"

"You made Yue-chan talk!" a boy added for emphasis, the girl blushing and hiding behind him, "You're the coolest! And you're really strong too! You have to stay with us!"

"Children!" Inari called out, the group looking over at him in surprise, "Koryu-san is on a mission to discover his past, he only helped us because it was the right thing to do." He looked at them seriously, "Is it right to ask him to stay, when he still has answers to seek out?"

"D-demo…" the boy began, tightening his fists as tears streamed down his cheeks, only to blink as a large hand ruffled his hair.

"Don't cry," Koryu said softly, kneeling down so that he was eye to eye with the group as a whole, "All of you are the future of this village, grow strong so that in future, you can protect it for the little ones that will follow you."

He smiled and reached out, wiping the tears from their cheeks with a gentle finger, leaving them gazing at him in awe. "I will not scold you for crying," he assured them, smiling with his eyes closed "But the only time it is right for children to cry…is when they are happy."

And with that he patted each child on the head, smiling one last time as he got to his feet, turning once again and making his way towards the forest, his sack over one shoulder as the wind rustled his cape.

Inari gazed after the figure, stunned at the speech he'd given the children, the words echoing through him like shattering glass. 'Those words!' he recalled, the image of a blonde teen, dressed in an outrageously bright orange jumpsuit, beaming down at him, hands clasped behind his head. 'Wait a minute! The whiskers! The eyes!' he gasped as his memory kicked into gear, the faces of the two blonde superimposing as he noticed the similarities, 'Kami-sama! It couldn't be!'

"NARUTO-ANIKI!" he called out, startling the crowds as he dashed forwards a few steps, Koryu having already disappeared into the woods, "NARUTO-ANIKI!"

"Naruto?" a villager wondered, surprise on his face "You mean the same Naruto we named the bridge after?"

"Can't be!" an older villager countered, "The kid was a shinobi of Konoha, that guy doesn't even have a headband!"

"But Inari-dono seems so certain," another opined, eyeing the breathless young man carefully, "He idolized the ninja with all his being, just like he idolized Kaiza."

"Could it really be Naruto-kun?" Tsunami wondered, blinking as she caught the faint chuckles her aged father was giving off, as he leant on his cane with both hands.

"The brat always was unpredictable." The aged architect muttered, shaking his weary head in amusement, "Turbulent as a hurricane, gentle as a summer breeze, he was as predictable as the wind."

"Inari!" he called out, snapping the frantic man out of his daze, "Get a hold of yourself, is that any way for a man to behave?" he smiled at the look on his grandson's face, "the wind blows in many directions, there is no doubt in my mind that he will return one day."

"You can come out," Koryu announced, pausing slightly in the middle of the path, "Your ability to conceal your presence is commendable, but I already told you that my skills as an assassin negate them."

"My apologies," Karasu agreed, chuckling politely as he seemed to appear out of thin air, leaning against a tree with an arm inside his kimono "I'm afraid it is a force of habit that insists I conceal myself." He eyed the taller man with respectful eyes, "And where will you go now?"

"I go in search of myself," Koryu revealed, "There are many mysteries in my past that I need to uncover." He raised an eyebrow, "And you?"

"To tell the truth," Karasu admitted, "I was wondering if you would allow me the honor of accompanying you." He bowed his head slightly, "I am indebted to you, not out of any assassins code, but as one practitioner to another, you showed me that my skills were lacking and that I had yet still room to improve."

"You owe me no thanks." Koryu stated, looking the man in the eye, "It was your own merits that spared you, just as Genma and Kuro Sasori's faults damned them."

"Nevertheless," Karasu countered, "I am quite familiar with the elemental nations, perhaps I could act as a guide?"

Koryu was silent a moment, before nodding gratefully, accepting the former tosei nin's hand in his own.

"I must admit," Karasu stated, eyeing his companion carefully as they walked along the path, "Your fighting style is quite efficient, I didn't catch the name however."

"All those who practice this style know it as Hokuto Shinken." Koryu stated, not looking away from the path, "It is an ancient martial art passed down from father to a single heir, in order to ensure the peace of the world."

"Quite a noble creed." Karasu opined, raising an eyebrow, "But how does one man take on the sins of the world?"

"It is a dangerous path," Koryu admitted, "And many people have died as a result of coming in contact with the style, either through rite of combat or in failure to be selected as the successor." He blinked as something blurred overhead, sharp eyes catching sight of several odd figures and a large canine leaping through the trees, their destination the village behind them.

"Looks like the Konoha entourage arrived." Karasu opined, nodding at the canopy with a grim smile, "A shame, I always wondered how my art would fare against Konoha shinobi."

"Pride in ones art is permissible," Koryu stated, "But too much pride leads to a lack of development, and the art eventually becomes stale."

Karasu chuckled weakly, eyeing his companion with a wry smile, "You really are a serious one aren't you?"

"YOSHA!" Gai yelled, landing in a victory pose as he grinned at the men along the ruined wall of the village, "FEAR NOT GOOD CITIZENS! YOUR PROTECTORS HAVE ARRIVED!"

A tumbleweed rolled past, as the workmen gaped at the bushy-browed, bowl-cut sporting man like he'd sprouted another head, before shrugging and going back to work. The Konoha team sweatdropped, Gai seeming to lose his enthusiasm, as they eyed the group carefully.

"Did we miss something?" Kiba wondered sniffing around, "It smells like there was a battle, where's the enemy?"

"Dead and gone." A worker called out, "They were driven off while we were still waiting for you."

"Yeah, what took you so long?" another opined, "Man, for the price we paid we expected you here a lot faster!"

"You're saying that the enemy already left?" Kurenai asked, noticing that some of the men looked injured, "Did you fend them off yourselves?"

"Nah, Koryu-san did it." A worker called out, "Bit of luck on our part, him showing up when he did."

"Koryu?" Gai wondered, looking around the worksite in confusion "Is he a resident of this village?"

"We wish!" a worker called out, looking excited, "If we had a guy like that living here, no-one would ever bother us again!"

"Yeah!" another agreed, "They way he took down the entire group like that," he made some exaggerated martial arts moves, including noises "didn't even use a weapon!"

"Wait, wait." Tenten called out, signing for a timeout, "You're saying that one man, without any jutsu or weapons, drove off an entire army of bandits with simple Taijutsu?"

"I wouldn't call what he used simple!" an older worker replied, leaning on his shovel as he eyed the shinobi, "Man made it look like an art form, the way he defeated them all without raising a sweat."

"Either way," Shino opined, there's little need for us here, he nodded to Kurenai for emphasis, "Since our team was the original support, we should stay behind and help set things right."

"I agree," Kurenai opined, turning to team Gai apologetically, "I'm sorry, Gai, making you rush out like-?"

She trailed off as she realized that Gai wasn't listening, the man was trembling as he clenched his fists, a look of excitement on his face, before punching both fists into the air. "YOSHA! SO ANOTHER TRUE MASTER OF TAIJUTSU SAW FIT TO AID THOSE AROUND HIM! AND HE DID SO SINGLEHANDED!" he turned to his protégé, "LEE! MY FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE REBORN! I SHALL NOT BE OUTDONE BY THIS KORYU PERSON!"

"ME TOO SENSEI!" the Gai clone agreed, eyes ablaze "AND IF I FAIL, I SHALL RUN BACK TO KONOHA ON MY HANDS WITH NEJI ON MY BACK!"

"LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS!" the elder Hyuuga yelled, whilst their female teammate giggled at how, despite everything that happened over the years, her team was still as wacky as ever.

"Are you the help we sent for from Konoha?" a voice called out, the two teams turning to address a young man with a crossbow over his shoulder, "I'm Inari, the mayor's grandson, could you come with me please?"

"So sorry for all the trouble," Tazuna chuckled, as he eyed the Konoha entourage warmly from behind his desk, "We called you all the way out here for nothing."

"Not a problem sir," Kurenai replied respectfully "If anything, we're just glad you're all alright."

"As are we," the mayor joked, eyeing the assembled shinobi carefully, "Quite a difference from the last group I laid eyes on, how's that Kakashi fellow doing?"

"You've met Kakashi?" Kurenai asked, the surprise on her face mirrored on the other Konoha nin.

"Him and his three students." Tazuna replied, nodding toward a picture on his desk, which showed him, his wife, a child with a passing resemblance to Inari and four figures with Konoha Hitai-ate. "They passed by here around the same time my bridge was nearing completion, it was supposed to be a C-rank mission, but since I had people trying to kill me I hear it was raised to an A-rank.

Hinata flinched as she took in the grinning features of a certain blonde in the picture, Shino and Kiba patting her shoulder reassuringly, as Neji sent her a sentimental look out the corner of his eye.

"So how are they all?" Tazuna asked, resting his chin on the back of his hands, Gendo Ikari style, "Bet they're all jounin and whatnot, eh?"

"Actually," Kurenai winced, "The only members of Team seven that remain are Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura." She winced as she felt the distress in Hinata's chakra, even as she noticed the shock on the Tazuna family's faces.

"What do you mean?" Inari asked, looking distressed, "Did something happen after they left?"

"This isn't really our right to say," Kurenai admitted, "However, shortly after the positioning of Tsunade-sama as Godaime, Uchiha Sasuke betrayed Konoha in order to gain power from the late leader of Otogakure."

"Since most of the jounin and Chunin were away on missions," Gai continued, looking grim, "Tsunade-sama appointed sent out a retrieval team composed of Sasuke-kun's classmates, one of whom was Naruto-kun, and three of which are here right now."

"You mean four," Kiba muttered, nodding towards Akamaru, the giant hound barking in agreement with his master.

"We encountered interference in the form of five shinobi from Otogakure," Neji continued, "the elite guard of the leader, who forced us to split up at intervals to fight one on one."

"Even with the aid of our allies from Sunagakure," Lee added, "We all came out of that fight badly battered, some of us almost died."

"What about Naruto Aniki?" Inari asked, looking at the group in desperation, "He was with you right?"

"He was," Kiba admitted, looking at the ground, even as Akamaru's ears flattened, the hound whining sadly, "He fought the traitor one on one at the valley of the end, at least that's what it looked like."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked, pressing a hand to stay his daughter as she tried to step forward.

"When Kakashi got there, the fight had already ended." Kurenai replied, "Sasuke kun was nowhere to be found, though echoes of his and Naruto's presence still hung in the air." She looked at the ground, "However, there was a smell of blood as well…Kakashi's Ninken confirmed it as Naruto's."

Tsunami clasped her hands to her mouth as Inari grit his teeth, fists clenched as he lowered his head.

"We searched high and low, but it's been ten years now." Kurenai stated, shaking her head sadly, "Uzumaki Naruto was officially declared KIA."

"BULLSHIT!"

Everyone stared in shock at Inari, as the young man slammed a fist into the wall, seething slightly as his fist trembled in the dent. "He can't be dead!" the man stated loudly, "Aniki's tougher than anything! He took on that Zabuza bastard's protégé and Gato's bodyguards all by himself!"

"Zabuza?" Gai repeated, "You mean Momochi Zabuza? Kakashi mentioned that he encountered him a while ago."

"Hold up," Kurenai muttered, "You're saying that the ninja Kakashi and his team protected you from was the Kirigakure no kijin?"

"And a bunch of samurai thugs hired by the late Gato." Tazuna added, smirking at the looks of shock on their faces, "What, you thought I named the bridge after a ramen topping? That boy saved the entire country, and gave hope back to this old man."

"Wait a minute." Kiba stammered, pointing out the window, where the bridge could be seen in the distance, "You're telling me that bridge is named after OUR Naruto?!"

"Who'd have thought it," Tenten wondered, looking impressed as she put a hand on her hip, "Guess he wasn't bragging all the time after all."

"All that aside," Neji cut in, looking less impressed than he was, "What exactly do you mean he can't be dead? Why else would he not return home?"

"You've no doubt heard by now about the man who drove off the tosei-nin single-handedly, correct?" Tazuna asked, "He was in his early to mid twenties, with blonde hair that shone in the sun, blue eyes that matched the sky," he paused for effect, "and six whisker shaped marks adorning his cheeks."

Everyone flinched at this, the distinctive imagery sounding all too familiar, Hinata actually clasping a hand to her mouth in a mixture of disbelief and hope.

"Now don't get me wrong," Tazuna stated, "The last time I saw Naruto he was a short little bastard barely over my waist, this fellow was over 6ft and the marks on his face could very easily be scars." he shrugged, "And as for the hair and eyes, well, there's hardly a shortage of blue eyed blondes is there? Especially in your neck of the woods."

"That's true." Kurenai admitted pulling out a sheet of paper "However, I think we'll look into this Koryu fellow all the same, can you give us a better description?"

"Not really," Inari offered, "Over 6ft, blonde, blue eyes, whisker marks," he noticed the female Hyuuga flinch at this but kept silent "dressed in traveling clothes and a cloak…" he blinked and nodded, "Oh yeah, he also had a scar in the shape of a whirlpool over his heart."

'A whirlpool shaped scar?' Kurenai asked, wincing at the thought, 'there aren't many things that can cause a wound like that, sounds like the flesh was torn and burnt at the same time.'

"Thanks for everything." She offered, handing her notes to Gai, "My team and I will stay behind until the damage is repaired, in case any stragglers try anything."

"We appreciate that." Tazuna assured her, "And again, my apologies for dragging you all the way out here."

As team Gai left the office, Neji shot one last look at his cousin as she and her team remained behind.

Hinata had been devastated when Naruto had been announced KIA, hell half the damn village had been stunned. The boy had been a staple of the village for years, even if they refused to acknowledge it. A single day without his boisterous presence made it quite clear that Uzumaki Naruto had been the unnoticed ray of sunshine in the lives of many people.

Since that day, Hinata had thrown herself into her training, trying to block out all other things in order to keep her promise to become stronger. She had long ago surpassed her sister, Hanabi, cementing her place as clan heir in the eyes of her father. She had also garnered much support of the branch family with her kind words and gentle demeanor, and her dream to abolish the Cage bird seal had only strengthened their conviction to follow her unto death.

Now here, faced with the chance of discovering the blonde's whereabouts, Negi had seen something in his cousin that had been dead for years, something that had been shut away by the loss of Konoha's most unpredictable Shinobi and self-proclaimed Rokudaime Hokage.

And he'd be damned if he let that fade away without a fight.

"Neji?" Tenten queried, snapping the Hyuuga out of his thoughts, "Daijoubu? You look a little preoccupied there."

"Just thinking." Neji muttered, "We passed by two figures walking down the path away from the village right?" he waited for the girl to nod, "Do you think they may know something of this Koryu person?"

"Maybe." Tenten allotted, holding her chin, before looking at him in confusion, "You really think it could be…him?"

"I honestly couldn't say." Neji replied, frowning thoughtfully, "On the one hand, it would be ridiculous to think he just fell of the map for ten years."

"On the other," Tenten continued with a smile, "It would be EXACTLY like him to do something like that."

Neji merely snorted, though a small, almost imperceptible smirk crossed his features, the image of a grinning Naruto hovering briefly at the back of his thoughts.

"So there are five major shinobi powers." Koryu repeated, the two having hitched a ride with a trade caravan heading for Kusagakure, "and these five are headed by people known as Kage?"

"Indeed," Karasu stated, "Konohagakure is led by the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama of the densetsu no sannin." He held up a finger, "Their ally, Sunagakure, is led by the infamous Sabaku no Gaara, who claimed the Kazekage title in his teens." He held up a finger, "The Yondaime Mizukage is a secretive bastard who NEVER appears in public, and the same could be said for the Tsuchikage and Raikage, though I here the current Tsuchikage is content to operate within his own nation and not start any wars."

"A wise notion in this time of conflict." One of the other passengers muttered, "I heard that Kumogakure was assaulted a few years ago, apparently their 'secret weapon' was stolen by two missing nin."

"Secret Weapon?" Koryu repeated, eyeing the man carefully "Some new advancement in artillery perhaps?"

"Nah, something much worse." The man snorted, "Ever hear of the Jinchuuriki?"

Koryu flinched, a feeling akin to ice sliding down his spine and into his gut as the word seemed to echo in his skull. He had no memory of such a word, and yet something about it told him that it was something very important top him, but not in any pleasant way.

"Well," the traveler continued, "Not long after Suna reclaimed their Kazekage, Kumogakure's forces were cut in half by just two missing nin, searching for the Niibi no jinchuuriki according to the rumor."

"What is this…Jinchuuriki you speak of?" Karasu asked, eyeing Koryu carefully, noticing how the man seemed to be having a bad flashback.

"A human sacrifice." The traveler replied, "The type used to seal away the Bijuu in order to control their legendary power." He snorted, "The Raikage made it public knowledge that the Nibi jinchuuriki was his personal bodyguard, guess he should have kept THAT little tidbit to himself."

Karasu said nothing, merely turning to face his companion, who was looking visibly shaken and panting heavily as he held his hand to his forehead. "Are you alright, Koryu-dono?" he asked.

"Fine." Koryu offered, shaking himself and wiping the sweat from his brow, gazing out the end of the caravan at the scenery, his face a mask of neutrality.

"Just…fine."

Will Team Gai discover the whereabouts of the errant Koryu?

What are these new developments within the Shinobi nations?

Will Gai and Lee succeed in challenging the newest successor of the world's deadliest fist?

Koryu: Omai wa mou...Shindeiru.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter six: Snakes in the Grass

Kusagakure had long been noted for its vast, endless fields of grass, the public road carefully paved off to avoid the various shinobi routes and traps that had been hidden in the greenery. Its prime exports appeared to be dyes, herbs, vegetables and silk.

Koryu barely noted the charm of the village, whilst indeed a fine example of architecture, the place just didn't seem to click. Though he had to admit, the silk was indeed impressive.

"They produce it from the thread of silk worms that feed on plants fertilized with chakra." Karasu explained helpfully, examining a roll of the fabric alongside the successor "No other country comes close to providing such a light, strong, durable material. All the daimyo wear robes fashioned from these." He smiled guiltily "I myself am rather smitten with them."

"With good reason." Koryu noted calmly, returning the silk with a bow "I have never seen such quality…this would make a fine gift for the master."

"You wish to have a robe made for someone?" the tailor asked, smiling up at the blonde helpfully as she finished taking measurements for a villager's dress "DO you have the measurements?"

"My master is at least a foot and a half taller than myself." Koryu revealed, Karasu gazing at his 6ft 5 companion in shock "That, and his body mass is considerably wider, for comparison, I'd compare it to that oxen."

The woman gaped as she followed the man's gaze to one of the grass daimyo's oxen, a massive brute of a beast that could have taken on a tank and won. "I…I've never done a job that big…" she admitted, before rolling up her sleeves "But I'll give it a shot!"

"Koryu-dono…" Karasu asked nervously, watching the woman as she took measurements of the bemused beast "How do you intend to pay for this gift? The cost of the silk alone…"

"Rest assured, I can procure the means to pay the bill with ease." Koryu assured the man, lifting up several money pouches "From the corpses of the slain guards and Genma, they wont be needing them in hell."

Karasu blinked, eyeing Genma's pouch in amazement, before chuckling in disbelief "You truly are an assassin." He noted grimly "Functional, effective, merciless…had I met your sooner I doubt I'd have lived to meet Genma."

Koryu said nothing as he paid a deposit for the robes, promising to come back in a few days time as they exited the store, walking along the main street. "Perhaps you would consider getting lunch?" Karasu asked, keeping pace with the taller man effortlessly "We have not eaten since yesterday, and it is already noon." He nodded towards a restaurant nearby "I understand the yakiniku in Kusa is also the finest in the nations."

Koryu merely nodded his affirmation, entrusting his guide's opinion firmly as they entered the establishment.

"I see…" Tsunade noted, regarding the recently returned team Gai with a careful expression as she read their report "And you're certain of this information?"

"We checked around the village before leaving." Gai reported seriously, standing at attention "The villagers all agree with the description, 6ft 5, blonde hair, blue eyes and well built."

"Only two people witnessed the fight," Neji added solemnly, standing at attention before the Hokage "One left before we arrived, and the other was the Mayor's son, who identified the whirlpool scar over the heart."

'Sounds like the flesh was torn and cauterized at the same time.' Tsunade noted, making the same observation Kurenai had, only with a more concealed wince 'There's only one technique I know of that can cause such a wounds…but no-one has ever survived being hit by it.'

"Was there any sign of him on the road to Konoha?" she asked, looking from face to face as they all shook their heads before sighing "Very well, rest up for now, I'll probably send for you soon so stay at home and gather your strength."

The team saluted, leaving the room ceremoniously, the Godaime slumping in her chair as soon as they left. 'Could it be him?' she wondered, reaching for her sake jug with a trembling hand as she tried to calm herself 'After all these years…after all the losses…could he be alive?'

She looked up at the picture of the fourth on the wall, the solemn features warping into a cheerful grin with whisker marks on the cheeks.

"Naruto."

"The yakiniku here is indeed most pleasant." Karasu noted as they devoured their meal calmly "True there are other delicacies in this world, but each nation has it's own, it's the herbs you see."

"So what are the specialties of the nations?" Koryu asked, placing his chopsticks on the plate as he waited for more meat to fry, honestly a little impressed with the quality himself.

"Well…wave doesn't really have a special since it's a trading hub," Karasu admitted at length "but Kirigakure, which is just a short day's run by ship, hosts the best seafood and the finest swords." He held up a finger "Kumogakure is famous for it's sake, and the minerals found in the mountains are rich in valuable ores. Iwagakure is currently recovering from the last Great War, but is notable for their stance in the market for gems, coal and other valuable minerals, I believe the specialty there is Udon."

They thanked the waitress as she served them another tray of meat, watching as it cooked carefully. "Sunagakure is, technically, the second greatest shinobi power at the moment." Karasu continued "However, the individual quality of each shinobi makes them a match for any three man team, most get promoted to chunin rather quickly. They provide the highest quality steel for weapons, and the specialties are spicy dishes cooked with desert herbs." He loaded his plate with a generous helping of meat "And finally, Konoha, the current dominant superpower." He elaborated with his chopsticks "specializes in wood, paper, general trade items such as foodstuffs, and seals."

"Seals?" Koryu repeated, cocking an eyebrow in inquiry, as this sounded like an interesting subject.

"Fuuinjutsu, the art of seals." Karasu explained, "A branch of ninjutsu that few take up, and even fewer excel at. They can be limited to storage seals, in which people may store weapons etc in scrolls or other items, to seals that can suppress/limit the flow of chakra, preserve a severed limb…or even seal the bijuu into mortals."

Koryu flinch imperceptibly at the word 'Bijuu', though for the life of him he couldn't explain why. He also noticed several other diners share a similar reaction, many making a sign against evil or sending a glare at Karasu for his carelessness, only to look away hurriedly when they met Koryu's flat, unrelenting stare. "This is the second time I have heard that word…what are these 'Bijuu' you speak of?"

Karasu's eyes widened, only to relax as he shook his head "But of course, as a stranger in a strange land, you wouldn't have heard of them." The albino assassin noted, shaking his head with a sigh "I'd be jealous were it not foolish to venture in these lands without proper knowledge."

Waving down a waitress, he ordered a kettle of green tea, Karasu pouring the soothing liquid himself before speaking. "The bijuu are an…oddity of sorts, giant masses of chakra that take the form of beasts with a varying number of tails, from weakest to strongest, nine in all."

"Why do people fear them?" Koryu asked, eyeing a group as they hurriedly left their booth, muttering something about 'bad omens'.

"They have good reason to," Karasu assured him "for the Bijuu are akin to forces of nature. They could tear through a country like a hurricane, leaving naught but death and destruction in their wake." He shuddered imperceptibly "I had the…dubious honor of living through such an attack as a child…when the Yonbi tore through my mountain village."

Koryu chose not to speak, instead waiting for the trembling assassin to compose himself. Apparently these Bijuu were not something to cross, if the mere memory of an event so long ago could bring a man of Karasu's caliber to this.

"But that is a moot point these days I hear." Karasu continued after a few, tense moments of silence "Most of the bijuu were sealed into jinchuuriki…" he paused at Koryu's barely noticeable flinch "but even more so, I heard an organization if hunting those said containers…as well as any free-roaming bijuu that remain…if any such exist."

"What would anyone want with such beasts?" Koryu asked, a dark frowning building on his face for a reason he could not comprehend, correcting himself with a quick sip of calming tea.

"Nothing good I can assure you that." Karasu muttered, looking around warily, though it was merely an act of habit. After all, if anyone capable of sneaking up on two assassins WAS in this establishment, Koryu wouldn't have broached the subject "In any case, what do you intend to do now?"

"For now, I am content to wait for the tailor to finish the gift for shishou." Koryu assured his companion, setting his cup back on the able with a sigh "However, these Konoha Shinobi intrigue me…they may know something of my past."

"I would advise heading there for now." Karasu warned him "Konoha has been the stage for numerous battles recently, rumor has it that Akatsuki believes they're hiding the location of the Kyuubi no jinchuuriki."

A lance of hot lightning shot through Koryu's brain, driving the man to his knees as he gasped for breath, knocking cups to the floor. Karasu, concerned for his companion, knelt beside him, eyes wide as he noted the sweat coursing down the blonde's cheeks.

'Such a strong reaction!' the assassin marveled, part of him morbidly fascinated at the blonde's predicament 'What could possibly have happened in Koryu-dono's past that the mere mention of the strongest Bijuu could bring him to his knees?'

"Are you ill?" a waitress asked, scuttling closer with her tray held before her mouth, as if to shield her from retaliation.

"No…" Koryu assured her, catching his breath and regaining his footing, albeit shakily "I am fine…merely tired." He pulled out a pouch and handed it to Karasu "Pay for the tea and cups…I'll be waiting outside."

As he left Karasu to pay, Koryu stumbled his way out of the tea-house, using the walls to support himself, not trusting his still trembling legs, even as he staggered down the street.

'What…was that…' he gasped, teeth clenched as the pain behind his eyeballs slowly dimmed, but did not vanish 'Like…an explosion of raw power…in my mind…' he shuddered, warding off the feeling of…WRONGNESS that the power had filled him with. 'I mustn't let my guard down.' He decided, 'Whatever it was, I wish to have no part of it.'

"Koryu-dono?" Karasu's voice called out the 66th successor turning to find his traveling companion standing at his elbow, face fraught with concern.

"I am Fine, Karasu-san." He assured the albino, technically true, as the fresh air was helping his recovery "I merely…needed to clear my head."

Karasu didn't look like he bought it for one second, but let it slide in favor of directing his companion to a decently priced inn, where they were to spend the night.

"Neji-Nii-sama?" Hyuuga Hanabi called out, startling the older Hyuuga as she entered the dojo, as she'd been taught, as quiet as a mouse "You were here?"

"Hanabi-sama?" Neji acknowledged, pausing in his katas to acknowledge the youngest Hyuuga sibling with a small bow "Did you need me for something?"

"I merely heard you returned from your mission early." Hanabi assured him, shaking her head slightly "But I didn't see Hinata-Nee-sama with you."

"Hinata-sama's team remains on duty in Nami no kuni." Neji explained, doing small breathing exercises top loosen himself up "Since my team's services were no longer required, we returned to give our report."

"I see…" Hanabi noted, looking a little disappointed at her sister's delayed return, before turning her attention to her cousin "Was there any fighting?"

"No," Neji assured her "By the time we got there, the battle was over, the villagers had repelled the enemy with the aid of a wandering Taijutsu specialist."

"Is that so?" Another voice enquired, both teens snapping to attention as Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan and patriarch of the main branch, swept into the dojo "Most interesting…was there anything noteworthy about him?"

"Sadly, we arrived well after the battle's conclusion." Neji informed the man, kneeling respectfully despite Hiashi's insistence such actions were not required between them "Furthermore, the Taijutsu user had already departed to parts unknown."

"I see…" Hiashi muttered, placing a hand to his chin "Still…there aren't many styles that enable a single man to defeat an army…even if they were merely wandering samurai and thugs…"

"The Elder's Grandson and a few others were witness to the fighting." Neji continued, looking up at his uncle as he spoke "They claim that he struck them with blows that, at first, seemed negligible, only for their bodies to be destroyed internally."

Hiashi's face darkened in a contemplating frown, understanding all to well what that implied. "Tenketsu…" he muttered, causing Hanabi's eyes to widen "Well that narrows things down a bit…there are barely a handful of styles on this continent that target tenketsu…our own Jyuken among them." He looked to Neji, his eyes inquisitive "Did they mention anything else? His description, the name of his style?"

Neji frowned, trying to recall anything about the style as he listed off the man's description. "Over 6 feet in height, muscled but lean, like an athlete, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, with whisker marks on his cheeks, and a scar in the shape of a whirlpool over his heart."

Hanabi's eyes widened at the mention of the 'whisker marks', Hiashi's too, but you'd have to have been watching him to notice, and even then you'd have missed it.

There wasn't a single Hyuuga alive that didn't know the name of Uzumaki Naruto, the youth that had sworn to change the ways of the clan when he assumed the Hokage title. He may have been officially declared KIA by Konoha, but the Hyuuga, particularly certain members of the main and branch families, had secretly never believed that to be true.

The youth had not only inspired the heiress to step into her role and develop as a shinobi, not to mention knocking some much needed sense into the prodigal Neji, but had actually inspired Hiashi's youngest daughter to excel, the girl adopting an attitude eerily similar to her sister's.

Hiashi would NEVER forget what the boy had done for him either. He'd given Hiashi his family back, something he had thought lost since the day Hizashi laid down his life for him. If there was the slightest chance in hell that Uzumaki Naruto was still alive, then Hiashi would do everything in his power to prove it and bring him home.

And anyone that dared to stand in the way would face the fully fury of the united Hyuuga Clan.

"Keep me posted on any updates." Hiashi ordered, receiving a nod from Neji as he turned on his heel "Hanabi, come with me." He called out, not unkindly "We must continue your training."

"Hai…Otou-sama." Hanabi acknowledged, bowing one last time to her cousin before following after her father.

Koryu sat by his window, chugging down a glass of cool water from the jug the maid had left there. His chest, bare from the shower save for the towel wrapped around his neck, shone in the dim light of the room, the shadows accentuating his scar as he eyed the moon, slowly making it's way through the night sky.

'Another full moon.' He noted, the sense of calm such nights brought on him washing over him as always, that familiar, yet unknown face swimming just outside of his recollection 'Why do such nights bring me peace? Why do they seem so…important?"

The moon, of course, could not answer the successor's questions, it could only provide comfort, what little it could, as it's soothing light fell upon him.

"A truly wondrous night." Karasu noted, stepping into the room, dressed in a sleeping kimono the innkeeper had thoughtfully provided "I didn't see you at the onsen."

"I prefer to bathe alone." Koryu assured him, though he couldn't honestly explain why he'd chosen to pass up the soak. Onsen were reputedly good for healing wounds, though the best seemed to be found in Konoha, as everything seemed to be.

"If you insist," Karasu opined neutrally "I certainly cannot fault you on it, being a fellow assassin." He stepped up to the window to watch the moon "The moon is full…back home we considered this an omen."

"Omen?" Koryu repeated, looking up as his companion, handing him a mug of cool water, which the albino accepted gratefully.

"On nights such as these, it is said that spirits come out to play." Karasu noted, pointing at several glowing balls of light that seemed to dance in the air.

"Fireflies?" Koryu noted, quirking an eyebrow as one landed on his finger, adding it's soft glow to the dark room.

"An old tale to scare children." Karasu admitted with a small smile "Something to tell on cold nights with nothing better to do." He frowned suddenly "Though not without a mote of truth…for the bijuu were always the most active on nights of the full moon."

Koryu frowned, the firefly lifting from his finger as it sensed his irritation, flying off amongst it's brethren as he continued to gaze aloofly out the window.

"I will not ask what caused your attack earlier." Karasu informed him, his tone courteous to a fault "That is your own business, and I apologize for brining it up." He turned to the moon "However, these are dangerous times to walk in ignorance, there are mutterings of another Shinobi war on the horizon."

"Harsh tidings indeed." Koryu agreed, his tone calm, as he continued to gaze out the window "In the event it does break out…who stands to suffer the worst?"

"The five great shinobi nations will most certainly be the ones drawing lines." Karasu informed him "However, there are an untold multitude of smaller villages that will be dragged into it, either because of border disputes, quest for fame, or even the simple desire to gain power and influence."

"With civilians getting caught in the crossfire." Koryu noted, a frown on his face "The more I hear of these shinobi, the lesser my opinion of them."

"Not all Shinobi are without scruples." Karasu assured him "The five great shinobi nations operate much like small city's, they value their civilian populace as much as their shinobi ones, and usually ensure they former are kept out of harms way." He frowned "Though some, like the former Otogakure, were not so…accommodating."

Koryu would have asked more, but at that moment, alarm bells filled the air, along with the town watch's cries for everyone to evacuate.

"A raid?!" the captain of the guard cursed, wiping soot out of his eyes from the flames, the other gripping a long spear in a death grip, whoever these bastards were, they certainly knew how to make an entrance "Who are they?!"

"Remnants of Otogakure!" a random guard called out, covering his bleeding brow with one hand "They blasted us with some sort of sound wave before making for the village stores!"

"Dammit!" the captain cursed, teeth bared in a snarl "Just as most of our Jounin are off on missions too!"

It wasn't that a few highly skilled chunin-class shinobi couldn't ward off Otogakure's shinobi, the late Orochimaru had only truly trained those with talent after all, leaving the rank and file soldiers to their own devices.

The problem was that the bastards attacked in swarms, like a pack of locusts, and without Orochimaru to lead them, the snake having apparently been killed off years ago by one of his disciples, they saw no reason to adhere to traditional shinobi ethics, and instead reverted to nothing more than bandits…albeit ones with oto weapons and jutsu.

'Not to mention the few that carry the Tenfuuin.' The captain muttered, tracing a scar that cut across his face diagonally, a memento from a fight with just such a monster 'The snake might be gone, but his legacy still poisons the lands.'

"Send word out to Konoha at once!" he ordered, his spear jabbing upwards, eliciting a howl from an oto-nin that had thought himself concealed as he was skewered between the legs "They have the most experience with these bastards! And they're closest to us!"

The guard nodded, dashing off to the communication's tower to send off a messenger bird, even as a surge of grey-clad assailants bore down on the rest of the guards. "They've taken the east gate!" one of them called out, his body covered in blood, though none of it his own "Taichou! There's a Tenfuuin user amongst them! They're holed up at the academy!"

"GODDAMIT!" the captain roared, his spear cleaving another has-been in half before he could bring his melody arm to bear "Just what we need! What happened to the east gate guards?!"

"No need to concern yourself." A Calm voice called out, sending shivers up the backs of the guards and their opponent's alike "The east gate is in good hands."

"Who…?" the captain muttered, only to gape as ten oto-shinobi that were rushing him fell apart in a spray of blood, their comrades pausing in their attack.

"What the hell?!" one of the more crass invaders yelped, looking around warily, only to freeze, touching his neck, where a thin red line was beginning to appear.

"Please excuse my rude entrance." Karasu called out, even as the fool's head fell away from his body, which joined it on the floor "But I don't believe there is a need to wait on ceremony for trash."

"Who're you calling trash bitch!" an oto kunoichi swore, hurling senbon at the man, only for them to be deflected with a simple wave of his weapons.

"You of course." Karasu muttered, his eyes brimming with cold annoyance that actually caused the Otonin to retreat a step out of shock "You attack this village without warning nor due cause, as an assassin I could understand this, but all you're doing is looting these hard-working people in order to fill your bellies."

"What's it to you huh?!" a random Otonin called out, only to shiver as Karasu's killing intent washed over him.

"It mean's you are nothing more than a pack of ravenous beasts." Karasu muttered coldly, raising his bladed tonfa in readiness "And shall be slaughtered as such."

"YAHAHAHAHA!!" A deranged voice cackled, the owner, a giant, bald-headed man, stripped to the waist, dressed in the remains of an Otogakure outfit, including the rope belt "Bring us all your sake and women, or I'll rip this kid's head off!"

"You son of a bitch!" a chunin instructor snarled, gripping his ninjato tightly as he glared at the giant, one hand clutching a wound on his side "You call yourself a man you coward?!"

"Eh? You talking to me?" the giant sneered, stretching his hands apart slowly, causing the child held between them to cry out. The child's parents screaming for him to stop from behind the chunin blocking the way.

"Better do as he says." A crass voice called out, the owner a man in his late twenties, dressed in an expensive, if faded kimono, the oto rope-belt around his waist "My friend here's a little short tempered…and we have so many playmates for him to play with."

"Sensei!" the terrified youngsters called out, hanging suspended inside a giant metal cage, a sole, small gate the only way in or out "HELP US PLEASE!"

"Aniki really knows his stuff huh?" a random oto-nin chuckled, squatting nearby, a crossbow well within reach should the locals try anything stupid.

"Ever since he joined up we've been breezing through these villages!" another cackled, sitting on the corpse of a downed Kusa-instructor, chewing on a leg of meat.

"Oi!" a third called out, rattling the metal staff as he did so "You sure you wanna keep us waiting any longer? Aniki said he wanted the best you got, and he wants it now!"

"Sunnuva-!" one of the instructors growled, only to blink as a tall figure in a travelers cloak walked past him, his height and build marking him as a fighter "H-hey! Wait a minute! Can't you see they have hostages?!"

If the blonde man heard his warning he didn't show it, he merely advanced on the giant, who glared down at him beadily, the blubber on his face giving him the features of an overweight gorilla. "You bring me my booze?" the giant demanded, looking over the newcomer suspiciously "I don't see any booze on ya pipsqueak…you trying to make a fool out of me?" he scowled as the man refused to answer "Hey I'm talkin to you!"

"Don't" the blonde muttered, waving a hand in front of his face, as if waving away smoke "Your breath's rotten."

The giant swelled, veins bulging all over his head as he clenched his teeth "Kisama…." He growled, standing to his full height, holding the child tight between his hands "You makin' fun of me-UMPRGHLE?!"

The gathered crowd gaped in disbelief as the stranger punched the giant, striking him right under the rips with a monkey-paw fist, the mans chest collapsing inwards like a pillow from the blow, causing him to drop the youth, who was swiftly swept up by the stranger before he could touch the ground.

"Go back to your parents." Koryu ordered the child, setting him down and pushing him in the direction of the gathered villagers, two of which were holding their arms out to the boy, who ran towards them eagerly.

"Y-you think that was enough to take me down?" the giant rumbled, getting to his feet and looming over the blonde with a snarl "Turn an face me you coward!"

"There's no need." Koryu muttered, shooting the giant a look of neutral disdain as he did so "I already hit your Tsubo…omai wa mou…Shindeiru."

"What in the hell're you-!?" the man growled, only to gape as his arms suddenly wrapped around him of their own free will, making it look like he was hugging himself "Hey what th-?!"

"Hokuto: Soukin Jizai Ken." Koryu intoned, eyeing the struggling giant dispassionately as he spoke "Your arms will continue to constrict until they tear your muscles apart, snapping your spinal cord in the process." He glared at the man as he spoke "Go play with the devil in hell."

"HELP MEEEEERRRGHPHRGLEBLEH!!!!!" the giant squealed, even as his own back erupted in a burst of blood, tendon, muscle and bone, terrifying the onlookers, be they invaders or defenders. Koryu, the only one unaffected, stepped over the mangled corpse with nary a second glance, before moving into a fighting stance.

"Who's next?"

And so Koryu's adventure continues.

Will clashing with the Otonin awaken his dormant Memories?

Will Hiashi be able to repay his debt to Naruto?

What will happen when the Hokuto Shinken collides with the Tenfuuin?

Koryu: Omai wa mou...shindeiru...

Translation:

Hokuto: Soukin Jizai Ken; literally translates as North Star: Tendon Pulling Will Fist. By striking the chest with a monkey-paw-like strike, the user can cause an opponent's arms to contract, literally hugging anything caught between them to death. Kenshiro used this against two attackers, who proceeded to hug one another until their organs burst and their spines were crushed.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto: Konoha Shinken

Chapter Seven: Silent Maelstrom, Raging Sounds.

"Who…who the hell is this bastard?!" one of the Otonin wondered, staring from the remains of their giant comrade with palpable alarm "What the hell did he do?!"

"Calm yourselves." The man in the faded kimono ordered, reclining on a lounge chair his followers had taken from the teachers' staffrooms "He is but one man, that idiot just happened to let his guard down."

His followers, though not fully reassured, were at least calmed enough to take the situation into better consideration. The blonde stranger was indeed one man, while they were, at least ten strong, not including their leader. However, in the world of Shinobi, numbers meant little, as one Jounin class opponent was the match for at least twenty chunin.

They may have reverted to being nothing more than common bandits, but every one of the invaders had, at some point, been a shinobi of Otogakure, and so knew that appearances were always deceiving. For all they knew, this guy could be a wandering nuke-nin that decided to play good Samaritan.

"That was pretty good!" the kimono wearer called out, applauding the man with mock appreciation "Truly a masterful stroke, clearly we have a master Taijutsu specialist amongst us." He rested his cheek on his fist "Tell me, stranger, what's your name?"

"Your death." The blonde replied, already walking towards them at a sedate pace, cracking his knuckles in readiness, the sound echoing in the silence.

"My death you say?" the leader of the raiders repeated in mock terror, actually drawing a laugh from his men "Really? My God..." raising his free hand with a regal air, he snapped his fingers "Kill him."

At once, two men leapt from the group, a set of Kusari-gama held in their hands as they encircled the blonde, halting him in his tracks as he paused to glare impassively at them. "Heh, dumb shit doesn't know to be afraid!" one of them cackled, his face covered by the standard Otogakure facemask.

"Soon fix that!" the other agreed, his face half covered in bandages, before hurling the chain-weapon at the blonde alongside his partner, the opponent merely tilting out of the way to avoid them.

"Pretty good!" the face-mask sporting one applauded, sounding amused "Most people don't last past the first strike!" he grinned under his mask "But the second's the keeper!"

Koryu frowned as the maggots encircled him, the rattling of their chains making them easy to pinpoint to his honed senses. Taking a breath, he moved into a cat-stance, arms raised partially above his head, palms facing his ears. Again the chains lashed out, only this time, rather than dodging the attached sickles, he grabbed them by their hilts.

"BAKA!" the bandaged one leered, twisting the chains tightly, causing them to wrap around the blonde's arms as he leered "You walked right into it!"

"We're going to rip your arms off!" the face-mask sporting one added, pulling the chain tight as he did so "This is what you get for acting so cool!"

"Is this supposed to scare me?" Koryu asked, his tone as calm and collected as ever, as if being bound in chains meant nothing, which, in actual fact it didn't. Ryu-sensei had tied him up with WORSE.

"Of course it is dumbass!" the bandaged one cackled, yanking the chains tighter as he spoke. his visible eye bulging with glee "You think you can get outta this? Then try it!"

"If you insist." Koryu muttered, his chest rising as he inhaled, concealed by the thick poncho he wore. His muscles swelled, the chains surrounding his wrists creaking, barely able to contain the swelling muscles as he gripped them in his hands.

"W-what the-?!" the duo yelped, even as they felt themselves being dragged towards the man "What are-you doi-?!"

"GUUUAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Koryu yelled, snapping his arms together in such a manner that his assailants were yanked off their feet, still holding onto their chains desperately even as their eyes widened in terror.

"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIII-!"

Their scream were cut off as their skulls collided, shattering like overripe melons under the sheer forced of the blow, blood and grey-matter splattering to the ground in a grisly rain as Koryu snapped the chains binding him and continued to advance.

"Make way there!" the captain of the guard barked, pushing to the front of the mob with his men, only to gape at the situation before him in confusion and horror "What the hell happened here?!"

"Taichou!" one of the chunin on scene called out, obviously relieved to see him as he pointed at the blonde stranger that had been wrecking havoc for the invaders "That man started fighting the Otonin!"

"They have hostages!" a second chimed in, drawing the captain's attention to the caged children with a scowl "But he's already taken down three of 'em!"

"Then what in the hell're we waiting for!" the captain barked, hefting his spear with a purposeful air as he did so "Let's give him some back-up lads!"

"I wouldn't if I were you." A calm collected voice opined, several men leaping aside as Karasu appeared in the midst like a ghost, albeit a well dressed, exceedingly polite one.

"Y-you're the one from the gate!" the captain noted, eye widening in recognition of the albino assassin that had decimated the Invaders with barely a hair out of place "You helped drive them off!"

"It was no trouble I assure you." Karasu stated calmly, his arms folded in his kimono sleeves "But you need not concern yourselves with this fight."

"What're you saying! Our kids are in there!" one of the guards exclaimed, pointing at the desperate children "Not only that, your friend may be strong, but there's a Tenfuuin user in there too!"

"A Tenfuuin?" Karasu repeated, looking sharply at the man, concern and intrigue battling for control of his eyes, before returning his gaze to Koryu as a new challenger stepped up "Interesting."

"Who's next?" Koryu called out, his eyes having returned to their impassive glare as he advanced on the awestruck invaders "or have you decided to die peacefully?"

"How droll…" the one in the kimono chuckled, though there was a hint of annoyance in his tone as he tilted his head "anyone think they can do better than those two?"

"With pleasure!" one of his men cackled, stepping forwards with a stout, iron staff in his hands, twirling it around expertly as he grinned "Hey! Pretty boy! You think you're hot shit cause you took out that tub of lard and those rejects?" he spat to the side, bringing the staff down on the limp form of a Kusa-chunin, shattering the corpse's skull "I was a staff master back in Otogakure! I was easily chunin rank!"

As if to emphasize this, he twirled the staff in such a way that it seemed to vibrate, slamming it into the earth in such a fashion that rather than breaking, it shattered, leaving only dust and slivers of stone.

"How's that? I've killed plenty of little shits like you with this!" the man boasted, posing with the staff held in one arm behind him "Blocking my staff won't do you any good, even a glancing blow will rattle your bones!"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Koryu asked, looking at the man with his cold, calculating eyes "Hurry up and come at me if you can, I didn't come here to listen to idle boasts."

"In a hurry to die are we?" the man chuckled, spinning his bat one more as he spoke, before lunging forwards "Then take this!"

Koryu frowned, stepping back expertly to dodge his opponent's strikes, noting that the man wasn't bluffing in his ability to wield the weapon, as some of those blows had almost clipped him before his guard came up. 'I underestimated him…' the blonde admitted, a frown marring his features as he ducked under a swipe and slid past the man 'a costly mistake, not one I can afford to make to often.'

"What's wrong?!" the staff-master called out mockingly, his staff like a wall of vibrating metal in his hands "Where'd all your tough talk go big guy?!" he leapt back, putting some distance between them as he leveled the end of the staff at his opponent like the tip of a fencing saber "SHINE-EEE!!!"

Koryu frowned, leaping aside as the tip of the staff jabbed into a wall, missing him by a foot at least, only for his eyebrow to quirk as it drilled right through the construct, leaving a single, circular hole where it passed.

"Hm? What do you think of that?" the staff master called out, a smirk on his features as he twirled the staff behind him, palm outstretched in a pose "All the force of the blow is delivered at a single point! With no wasted power!" he smirked as the wall fractured, before crumbling to dust, causing the entire side of the building to collapse "Of course, the vibrations are directly delivered through the wound as a result." He leered at the blonde confidently "You get it now? I won't just break you…no, I'm gonna crush you to powder!"

"Hokage-sama!" Shizune called out, bursting into the office to find her aging master shifting through documents "A request for back-up from Kusa!"

"What do they need us for?" Tsunade grumbled, sounding more than annoyed "Kusa and Konoha have never had anything in common, nor any form of treaty outside the non-violence charter drafted after the war."

"They're being invaded by remnants of Otogakure no sato." Shizune reported, instantly snapping her master out of her mood, a serious scowl adorning the Godaime's face "Also, their Jounin are currently off on missions, trying to fortify themselves against the rumours of a pending war."

"Idiots…" Tsunade muttered, glaring at the missive as it was handed to her, eyes narrowing as she read the details "Even if we set out now the raiders would have a day on us to escape." Scowling, she looked up at her assistant "What teams can be spared?"

"Team Kurenai is still in wave, overlooking the repairs." Shizune reported dutifully, reading off a clipboard "Team Gai was dispatched for patrol duty yesterday, and are set to return in a week or so, with my own cell, with Genma Raido and Aoba, having been relieved of said duty." She flipped through the papers "However, Team Ebisu and Team Asuma are both on standby."

"Asuma and Sensei's grandson's teams huh?" Tsunade noted, a smirk crossing her features as she recalled the two Sarutobi males, one a chain-smoker, the other a prankster. Both reminded her of two of the greatest influences in her life, and two of the people she'd lost, in different ways.

'Sensei may be gone…' she allotted, Asuma's and the late Sarutobi Hiruzen's features intermingling, shortly replaced with Konohamaru and a certain blonde Knuckleheaded genin 'But Naruto…'

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune called out, a little concerned for her mentor as she trailed off into unusual silence, as she was wont to do as of late. The Godaime snapped out of her thoughts, eyes hard as she looked at her former apprentice with a nod.

"Assemble Teams Asuma and Ebisu for an A-rank mission immediately." Tsunade ordered, "Have them briefed and sent out on the double!"

"Yare-yare…" Asuma muttered, shaking his head as he dropped off little Hiruzen at the academy "I don't see how you've kept your sanity for so long Iruka, teaching three brats was tough enough, but they'd had prior training."

Umino Iruka merely chuckled and scratched his scar in embarrassment, it wasn't often that a jounin complimented a mere academy chunin instructor, especially not a member of the vaunted Sarutobi clan, and a former member of the Nijuu Shotai to boot. "Still, Hiruzen-kun really takes after his grandfather doesn't he?" the chunin noted, watching as Asuma's son broke up a fight between two other boys, getting them to make up before joining them for a game of tag.

"Kid's a diplomat in the making, just like the old man was." Asuma agreed, lighting up a cancer stick, chuckling at Iruka's pained glance "C'mon, I don't smoke around the brats or in the house anymore, the least you can let me do is indulge in the fresh air."

"I suppose…" Iruka allotted "It's just kids are impressionable at this age, I'd rather they started thinking smoking is 'cool' because they saw a jounin doing so."

"Relax, I've drummed the evils of smoking into Hiruzen's head enough that if he does smoke, it's his own decision." Asuma assured the man, eyeing his son with a look of pride "Graduations coming up soon right?"

"Mmmm." Iruka agreed, a wistful smile crossing his features as he watched over the kids from the gate, recalling every student he'd seen off over the years "Time does fly…"

"Tell me about it…" Asuma chuckled "fifteen years ago the only way to motivate my team was to either treat 'em to yakiniku after a mission or have Ino scream at the boys till they did as she told them."

"And now?" Iruka asked, chuckling at the knowing, self-mocking look in Asuma's eyes as the jounin extinguished his finished smoke under his heel.

"Well…we still go out for Yakiniku." Asuma admitted, tossing the crumpled butt into a litter-bin "but at least we can split the bill four ways now…Ino's calmed down a little too."

"By the way, how's she and Chouji been getting along?" Iruka asked, smirking at Asuma's quirked Eyebrow "Oh come on you think I don't keep my ear to the ground?"

"I honestly cant say." Asuma replied, though the look on his face implied he wanted to BADLY, "But I can tell you this, Inoichi and Chouza are absolutely over the moon about it."

"I'll bet." Iruka chuckled, recalling seeing the two clan heads prancing down the street one night, singing about the 'joining of houses' whilst swinging Sake-bottles around.

Their conversation was cut short as an ANBU dropped in between them in a crouch, bowing towards Asuma respectfully. "Sarutobi Asuma-dono." The crow masked nin addressed the Jounin "Tsunade-sama requests you and your cell to assemble at the Konoha Gate immediately, bring all equipment necessary for an extended mission to Kusagakure."

"Finally…" Asuma sighed, a lazy smirk on his bearded face as he popped his shoulder joints with a grunt "I was wondering when I could cut loose…"

"I'll see to it that Hiruzen-kun gets home safely." Iruka assured the man, knowing that there were a few unscrupulous parties that would love to get their hands on a member of the late Sandaime's clan, and not just from outside the village either.

"YO! Asuma-Ji-chan!" Sarutobi Konohamaru called out, waving as his uncle popped into view next to his team via shunshin, barely a second behind the arrival time.

"Konohamaru?" Asuma greeted, smiling at his blue-scarfed nephew with the fond air he reserved for family and close friends "Looks like we're working together this time."

"Hai!" the chunin saluted, grinning in a manner oddly reminiscent of a certain loudmouthed genin that had influenced most of his generation…not to mention a few of his elders.

"Konohamaru-kun." Ebisu coughed, though he could understand the honorable grandson's excitement, he himself was a little eager to get underway after being cooped up so long in the village.

"Mou…we've been cooped up for so long…" Ino complained, stretching in a way that drew looks from Ebisu's cell, lecherous from Konohamaru, and Ebisu himself though he chastised himself for it, and envious from Moegi, who was still only just filling out.

"Don't see what the big deal is." Shikamaru muttered, the lazy jounin letting off a yawn as he popped his neck joints, thumping a shoulder with his fist to get the blood flowing.

"Alright listen up!" Tsunade called out, snapping everyone to attention with her tone as she stepped into view, Shizune at her side "You're about to embark on a mission to assist in a bandit raid on Kusagakure, normally we'd leave them to it, but it seems Otogakure's remnants are involved, and other than Konoha and Suna, no other village is used to their tactics."

"Tell me about it." Shikamaru muttered, recalling his first time as team leader, and the disastrous follow-up. Two men critically injured, one presumed dead, and not only that, the mission had ended in failure, all because of Orochimaru's lapdogs.

"As such, I expect you to treat this as an A-rank mission," Tsunade continued "assist the Kusagakure chunin in their defense, but other than that simply kill as many of those pests as you can." The group shivered at the coldness in the Godaime's tone "We made the mistake of letting Orochimaru run ragged years ago, he may be dead, and good riddance in my opinion, but he left enough skeletons in the closet to keep us busy for some time, not the least of which being the Tenfuuin bearers."

Chouji and Shikamaru winced, both having had prior experience with Orochimaru's little 'gift' for those he deemed worthy. It basically boosted their chakra tremendously, whilst altering their bodies into demonic freaks, bound to the serpent's will.

"Also…" Tsunade muttered, drawing everyone's attention back to her as she pulled out some sheets of paper "Whilst there, keep an eye out for someone matching this description, he was sighted in wave country and apparently drove off the tosei-nin there before our forces arrived."

Asuma whistled, having heard the gist of that mission from Gai before the man had started preaching on about Youth as usual. Apparently some unknown Taijutsu specialist had come in and cleaned house by himself, without asking for a reward.

While admirable, it had the adverse effect of inspiring Gai to new heights of training, which he'd go on and on and ON about until someone either knocked the man unconscious to shut him up or distracted him long enough to make a getaway.

"Mendokuse…" Shikamaru muttered, noting how long the description was with a grimace "Pretty thorough weren't they? 6ft 5, whirlpool scar over heart," he winced "That had to hurt…blonde, blue eyes, whisker marks…"

He trailed off, his lips open and eyes widening along with everyone else's at that last comment, Konohamaru actually freezing in place at the words. "No way…" Chouji muttered, looking at his best friend in disbelief and, if he dared to say it, a little hope "You don't think…?"

"This is the second half of your mission." Tsunade informed them, holding her elbows in a way that seemed authoritative, but the jounin easily knew was to restrain herself "Find out anything you can about this 'Koryu' person, consider it an S-rank reconnaissance mission."

Koryu scowled, eyeing the staff master warily as he drew closer, hands held inn a ready stance. "Well, you scared yet pretty boy?" the man cackled, twirling his weapon about him in a blatant display of assumed superiority "Wanna piss your pants? Pray to God? If you hunker down and beg for mercy, Aniki could let you become his boot-cleaner!"

Koryu merely scowled, gesturing with his hand for the man to come closer, earning an annoyed grunt from the man "Little shit…" he growled, rearing his arm back for another thrust, the edge of the staff rotating towards the blonde "SHINEEEE!!!"

Everyone watched with baited breath as the tip raced towards the poncho-wearing blonde, only for their eyes to widen as his hand snapped out, apparently trying to block the staff with his hand. "BAKA!" the staff-wielder cackled, his glee evident on his face as he upped the power of his thrust "I'll punch through your fist and shatter every bone in your arm!"

Koryu did not reply, he merely held out his palm, fingers straight, as the end of the staff collided with a meaty 'thwack', only to suddenly stop in it's tracks, steam and the smell of hot flesh rising from it.

"W-what the?!" the wielder yelped, eyeing the scene before him in disbelief "T-that's impossible! Your hand…why didn't I pierce your hand?" he went to pull back, only to find be couldn't, for Koryu had gripped the end of the staff with the same hand he'd used to block. "K-Kisamaaa!"

"You forget the basics of your technique." Koryu intoned, his eyes as deep and murderous as a stormy sea "No matter how fast it rotates, the tip of your staff is still blunt. That means the tip doesn't rotate as much as the main body."

Before the stunned man could say another word, he felt his feet leave the ground, eyes widening in horror as the blonde man lifted him off the ground the end of his staff placed firmly into his stomach. "H-HELP!" he called out, legs kicking humorously as he fought to keep from impaling himself on his own weapon "SOMEONE GET ME DOWN FROM HEEEEEEERE!"

"As you wish." Koryu muttered, tossing the staff, and it's wielder by proxy, into the air with one hand, before leaping up after the man, his fingers flying for his neck, digging in up to the second knuckle. As the man gagged from the blow, a hash knee to the face shattered his nose, sending him hurtling towards the ground face first, whereas Koryu landed with the grace of a big cat, watching as the man stumbled to his knees.

"He…heheheheheh…that was it?" the man chuckled, gripping his weapon and using it to clamber to his feet "I've squashed kittens with more bite than that!" He scowled as the blonde turned away from him towards the rest of the bandits "HEY! Turn back here coward!"

"There's no need to." Koryu muttered, not even turning to address the man as he advanced on the remaining raiders "Omai wa mou…Shindeiru."

"The hell're you-DEBUUUU!?" the man snapped, only to cut off mid-sentence as his skull distorted, followed by his neck forcibly twisting to side with an audible crack, blood spraying from his eyes, nose and mouth as he collapsed, still holding his weapon.

"Hokuto…" Koryu intoned, walking towards the stunned bandits like some unstoppable juggernaut "Koushu Hagan Ken." He pointed at the leader, gesturing with his other hand in a beckoning motion "Next."

"A-aniki…" one of the remaining Otonin stammered, gaping at their opponent in horror as he backed away, only to spasm and fall on his face, a kunai lodged in his neck.

"Useless wretch." The man in the kimono muttered, glaring at the figure on the floor as he spoke "How dare he retreat?" he shot the others a look "and just in case you're all thinking of doing the same, know that I NEVER forget a face, and if I have to get off my seat to deal with this myself I'll be VERY annoyed."

Four men, torn between the uncertain death of facing their opponent and the CERTAIN death of displeasing their leader, rushed Koryu with their weapons drawn, screaming for blood. The 66th successor merely glared, not moving from his spot, before lashing out with a savage kick that struck with pinpoint precision, following the motion up by leaping over their heads to stand behind them.

"Hokuto: Shi-Hou-Zan!" Koryu called out, followed by the four men screaming as their bodies exploded outwards into piles of blood and offal. He eyed the remaining forces coldly, turning to level his glare at the apparent leader as he reclined on his seat.

"Well now…" said leader muttered, annoyance in his tone as he sat up from his reclining position "It seems I need to rethink my hiring polices a tad."

"A-aniki!" one of the remaining thugs insisted, standing in front of the man with his arms stretched wide in a placating manner "T-there's no need for you to dirty your hands on this guy! We can-!"

"You're in my way." The man growled, back-handing the poor underling, surprising everyone as the man's head separated from his shoulders from the blow "Such incompetence…"

Rising regally to his feet, the man walked towards Koryu at a sedate pace, like a king advancing on a courtier, his men backing out of the way with looks of fear.

"I must commend you sir," the man applauded, though his tone held no sincerity "I don't get off my seat to handle anything these days…you're the first person I've had to deal with personally outside my underlings in almost a year."

"That's a year you didn't deserve to live." Koryu muttered, his arms at his sides under his poncho "Come on down here…it's time for you to die?"

"Die?" the man chuckled, slowly slipping the top of his Kimono off to reveal his bare torso, a strange tattoo on his neck "You think it's my time to die do you?" his chuckling deepened ominously as strange markings made their way across his neck and chest.

'W-what the hell?!' Koryu exclaimed, eyes widening as the markings, glowing a dull red, slowly covered the man's features in a wave-like pattern 'That marking…!'

"_You're pretty special…" that hauntingly familiar voice noted with wry amusement, flame-like tattoos crawling over the owner's skin, slowly turning it grey "But I'm more special than you."_

'No doubt about it…' the 66th successor muttered, watching as his opponent's skin changed from normal flesh to a bizarre grey-black 'I KNOW that mark from before!'

"Are you surprised?" his opponent called out, stretching his arms wide as the transformation drew to a close. He now resembled some sort of half-man, half Komodo dragon creature, his eyes golden and reptilian. "Is this your first time witnessing such power?"

"Where did you get that mark?" Koryu ground out, his eyes unusually serious, the intensity actually causing the lizard-man to back up a step, "Tell me now and your death will be painless."

"There you go with that death thing again." The monster muttered, annoyance and pride in its tone as it pointed at him "Let me tell you something, you uneducated lout, it is not you who shall be doing the killing this day…but I, Ryuma-sama!"

And so the battle lines have been drawn?

Will Ryuma's claim of victory hold true? Or will the light of the Shisei shine over him?

Koryu: Omai wa mou...shindeiru.

Glossary:

Hokuto: Ursa Major, the big dipper, otherwise known as the North Star.

Tenfuuin: Heaven's seal, known as Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, or the 'hickey from hell' as I like to call it.

Koushu Hagan Ken: Neck Twisting, Face Breaking Punch. Which has GOT to be a typo, because I swear to crap he kneed the guy in the face.

Hokuto; Shi-Hou-Zan: Four-Way Slash of the North Star.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight.

"Shikamaru…" Chouji called out, drawing his friend's attention as they leapt side-by-side through the treetops towards the border between Konoha and Kusa no kuni "You…do you really think it's him?"

"I honestly don't know…" Shikamaru muttered, feeling a guilty stab at the look on his friend's faces at his words "Logically speaking there's no way it could be…Naruto would never stay away from Konoha for so long without contacting us…" he frowned "But still…there's a part of me that wishes it IS him."

"It'd be just like him too!" Ino chuckled, a smile on her face as she recalled her fellow blonde in question with grudgingly fond memories "Walking up to us after all these years, that goofy grin of his on his face as he makes up some ridiculous excuse, like getting lost on the way."

"Aniki would never get lost!" Konohamaru countered, leaping past the Yamanaka kunoichi with a scowl on his face, as if insulted by the very insinuation "I'll bet that Uchiha-bastard took him prisoner and he escaped!"

"Doubtful…" Shikamaru muttered, though he'd admit the idea held merit "According to reports, Sasuke has never taken prisoners in a fight if he doesn't have to…and Back then he had no reason to spare Naruto, if what we can gather from the retrieved tablet is to be believed..."

The elder shinobi shivered, whilst Konohamaru's cell, with the exception of a grim faced Ebisu, blinked in confusion. After Sasuke's defection, Shikamaru had lead a team to gather as much intel on the avenger as possible, trying to build a better picture of the youth they apparently knew jack-all about despite having grown up with him.

The results hadn't been pretty; they'd uncovered a proverbial rat's nest of deceit and treachery in the Uchiha archives, not to mention enough material to have the entire clan stripped of their validity in Konoha. Sasuke's name was put on the 'Kill on sight' list for ANBU and Jounin class shinobi alike, something that had rocked his few remaining supporters HARD.

'Sakura was doing so well at her training too…' Ino muttered, recalling how her former rival had actually assaulted Tsunade with a scalpel when she'd learned of the list, though to be fair, the pinkette had been emotionally unstable since the report that Naruto had been 'killed', apparently blaming herself for it.

It hadn't stopped Tsunade from stripping the girl of her genin title for a few years, though thankfully the therapy had been fast enough that the demotion hadn't been permanent, and she'd quickly risen up to chunin.

"We're nearing the border to Kusagakure." Ebisu called out, the shades wearing jounin's authoritative voice snapping everyone's attention to the fore, where light was visible at the end of the woods...a good hours run away "I suggest we go on high alert!"

"Agreed." Asuma supplied, his lips pressed tight, forgoing his cigarettes for the benefit of the mission, his trench knives already in hand "Proceed with caution, And Shikamaru? Put that brain of yours to use…we need a battle plan before we go running in chakra blazing."

"Mendokuse…"

Koryu glared at the monstrosity before him, watching the dark, scale-like skin slide over the enhanced muscles, shifting into a ready stance as he searched it over for a weak point. Even from here, he could feel the corrupted energy of the creatures ki-paths, akin to how certain martial arts relied on toxins or stimulants to provide a doping effect. Hokuto Shinken had similar techniques, such as the Sekatsu pressure points on the inner thighs, used by weakened, or dying fighters to fight at full strength, but the cost was an extremely shortened lifespan.

But this…this clearly reeked of the most foul, evil tampering, and was seemingly situated around a particular section of the neck. It was like there was a second ki flow there, like a malignant tumor with a mind of it's own.

"You should feel honored, oh nameless wanderer," the monstrosity chuckled, holding it's clawed arms wide for emphasis "I only transform to deal with worthy opponents, so please try to make this interesting."

Koryu merely scowled and loosened his stance, dancing on his feet in readiness for the first attack. Abruptly, the monstrosity was in his face, slashing and clawing at him with more power than skill, the moves had a hint of basic martial arts training, but it seemed that the monster preferred to rely on his strength to put his foes down.

'In that case…' Koryu muttered, grabbing both of the monsters clawed hands in his own, their fingers interlocking 'Let us see how he fares against a stronger oppo-?!'

The smell of sizzling flesh reached his nostrils, the 66th successor of Hokuto Shinken leaping back, kicking off the monster to free himself from his grip, before looking down at his scalded hands. The skin on the palms had been burned off.

"Now you see my power…" Ryuma scoffed, clenching his fingers threateningly at the man "My body temperature in this form is so high simply touching me for a prolonged period of time can result in third degree burns!" he stepped forwards, the earth sizzling as dew drops evaporated under his bare feet "Not only that…" he added with a reptilian smirk "But my scales are tougher than steel, not even the sharpest blade can pierce them!"

He smirked at his blonde opponent, noting the scowl on the man's face and mistaking it for desperation. Around this time, most of his opponents had either made for the hills or whipped out a few elemental Ninjutsu. But then Ryuma, unlike most of the Otogakure remnants, was no mere one trick pony.

Before the blonde upstart could blink, he slammed his hands together in a tiger seal, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled, ribcage cracking outwards as his lungs expanded. "KATON! RYUUJINHA!"

A fiery stream erupted from his mouth, roaring towards his opponent, enveloping him in the white-hot heat. Around them, the people of Kusagakure cried out in alarm, and behind him, the captive runts screamed and tired once again to break free of their cage. Ryuma kept the stream of fire going for about two minutes, before cutting it off and smirking at the barren, rendered field before him, stones cracking as they cooled, and small patches of grass still burning.

"Feh…not even a corpse left…" the Tenfuuin user muttered, shaking his head in disgust as he looked over the destruction with a sense of dark pride and a mocking leer on his reptilian features "Didn't even last a minute."

"And here I thought dragons were a myth." Came a cold, calculative voice, Ryuma whipping round only to receive a boot to the face that sent him crashing through a wall, ten meters away.

'Wha…WHAT THE HELL?!' the monster stammered, raising himself up on the rubble, holding his aching jaw and gaping at the sight of his assailant. "YOU!"

"I must admit you grow more interesting by the minute…" Koryu called out, lowering his smoking boot to the floor as he spoke, the edges of his hikimawashi smoking from the flames of the monster's last attack "That being said, if spitting fire and being able to deflect steel is all you can boast, you're nothing."

"Kisama…" Ryuma hissed, crushing a piece of rubble into sizzling pebbles between his clawed hands, before pulling himself from the rubble with a snarl, crushing the remainder of the wall to powder with his free hand "You…you DARE to mark my face?!"

"Vanity is a failing." Koryu pointed out, his stance back up and his eyes impassive, deep and vast like the ocean, concealing the raging storm within that threatened to devour all that crossed it recklessly "But then, a monster would know nothing of human virtue."

Ryuma snarled and, with speed that belied his appearance, leapt from the rubble and brought himself within striking distance. Koryu, rather than attempt to block the strikes, weaved around them with the natural grace of a dancer, Ryuma's expression going from enraged to positively murderous as the successor weaved around his strikes with apparently little effort. "FACE ME COWARD!" the lizard-man snapped, his fangs snapping just in front of Koryu's face, the blonde leaning back by instinct, which left him unbalanced for a precious second "MINE!"

Koryu, however, instead of righting himself, leant further backward and delivered a flip-kick to the jaw that sent Ryuma's head cracking backwards with an intensity that caused several to wince, only the Tenfuuin's recuperative powers keeping his neck from snapping like a dry twig.

'What kind of strength does this freak have?!' the lizard-man gasped, backing away slightly, moving into a loose, but wary stance, even as Koryu flipped back onto his feet, his stance and expressionless face the same as ever 'Dammit! What does it take to get a rise out of this guy?!'

'Koryu-dono is leading the match…' Karasu noted, holding his chin, his other arm resting inside his kimono, as he watched the two warriors go head to head, 'However, he is not used to fighting Tenfuuin users, and this one's gifts from that seal make it difficult for Koryu-dono to attack save with kicks.'

Not that meant the blonde assassin was any less dangerous, as Karasu could very well attest. The Albino Assassin's ribs still stung after receiving the man's kick back when they first met, but Koryu had admitted on the road that he'd been holding back to avoid a fatal injury.

'It felt like someone had driven an iron spike into my lungs.' The albino muttered reproachfully, chuckling to himself at how humble his traveling partner could be 'Oh yes, limiting himself to kicks will not be a problem.' He narrowed his eyes at the fighters 'And if he can hold out just a little longer…'

"FIGHT ME DAMMIT!" Ryuma snarled, exhaling another gout of flame at the 66th successor, only for Koryu to leap over them and deliver a heel kick to the head that cut them off prematurely. "Is running and dodging all you're good for?!"

"Going serious against an animal would be an insult to the 2000 year history of my style." Koryu shot back, his voice as impassive as ever, which only proved to incense Ryuma all the more, the monstrous Tenfuuin user's eyes slitting as rage filled his entire being.

"DOTON!" He roared, slapping his palms together in a ram seal, sending chakra through his feet into the earth "DORYUUTAIGA!"

Koryu stumbled, eyes widening as the earth beneath him liquefied, becoming a flowing river of mud. Only his training kept allowed the successor to retain his footing, but by then his lower legs were firmly gripped by the mudslide.

"MINE!" Ryuma jeered, lunging forwards and clamping his hands around the blonde's neck, the sizzling of burning flesh filling the air as her throttled his opponent "Finally got you to hold still." He mocked, tightening his grip as he chuckled "Not so talkative now are you, ah?!"

Koryu grimaced, his teeth clenching tight from the feel of scalding heat. He felt small blisters form under the man's palms, bubbling under his skin as water as the talons dug deeper into his neck. "Where's all your precious Taijutsu and bluster now smart guy?!" Ryuma demanded, getting in the blonde's face with a reptilian leer "Just try and get out of this! I dare you!"

"Very well…" Koryu uttered, even as the muscles in his neck tightened, Ryuma's eyes widening in shock as he realized he could no longer crush it. If anything, his hands were separating slowly "But just remember...you asked for this..."

"W-what are you-?!" the lizard man stammered, eyes widening as chakra began wafting off the man before him, the man's hikimawashi slowly burning and tearing away as the muscles beneath swelled with increased strength "K-Kisama! What are you?!"

"Most martial arts only make use of 30% of their body's potential…" Koryu intoned, his eyes glowing slightly as he spoke "however…Hokuto Shinken enables me to draw out all 100%."

Ryuma could only look on in horror as not only was the blonde before him growing larger by the second, but that the sizzling of his flesh had halted somewhat as well. 'The chakra!' he realized 'There's so much chakra in his flesh it's warding off my own!'

"Another teaching of my art…" Koryu revealed, grabbing the stunned Tenfuuin user's wrists in his hands, heedless of the steam wafting from them "Is the use of anger to turn one's flesh into steel armor."

Ryuma paled, struggling to release himself from the man's grip, kicking and writhing at him in a bid to free his trapped limbs.

"You have invaded these people without cause…" Koryu continued, his voice deepening with rage with each word "you have threatened the lives of children…" his eyes glowed a dangerous steel-blue "you even killed your own men for displeasing you…!"

Ryuma screamed, his wrists cracking audibly as Koryu tightened his grip round them, his fingers digging into the madman's flesh like hot knives in butter.

"To think a Beast like you…" the blonde snarled, tightening his grip further "Could make me this angry!"

There was an audible cracking noise, followed by Ryuma's scream of pain and the squirt of flying blood.

"We're getting closer to Kusagakure's border." Shikamaru noted, only to sigh for the umpteenth time as the passed the same tree trunk three times "We should've been past the border some time ago…but damned if this place isn't a freaking pain to find."

"Hidden in grass, remember?" Asuma reminded his pupil, his trademark cigarettes extinguished as he ran alongside the chunin cells, keeping a concerned eye on his nephew, who kept trying to race on ahead despite firm orders from Ebisu.

Though he couldn't blame the kid for wanting to get there faster, Naruto had been the closest thing Konohamaru had to a brother/role model when he'd been growing up…hell the boy probably taught his nephew more than he'd ever learned from Ebisu in regards to jutsu.

He could still remember the look on the Godaime's face when Konohamaru had used the blonde's Harem Jutsu during the chunin exams preliminaries to take down his opponent by transforming into an army of seductively clad copies of herself, an image that STILL brought most men to their knees at the memory. But that paled in comparison to the look on both her and Jiraiya-sama's faces when he'd used the Yondaime's Rasengan, apparently taught to him by Naruto some time after he returned with the Godaime all those years ago, to take down a stronger candidate in the finals.

In short, Asuma owed the blonde a very big debt. Not only had he motivated his team to improve with his performance during the chunin exams, but he'd been there for Konohamaru when Asuma couldn't, helping the boy grow into the fine example of a chunin he was today.

'And then Uchiha Sasuke stepped in and took him from us.' Asuma noted bitterly, still recalling how devastated Konohamaru had been when Naruto was announced KIA. The boy hadn't even attended the makeshift funeral, instead trying to sneak out of the village to hunt down the blonde hellion, claiming Naruto wouldn't die even if he was killed.

It had actually taken three ANBU squads to drag the boy kicking and screaming back to Konoha…and that had been before he'd mastered Kage bunshin, let alone Rasengan.

And that was NOTHING compared to what team Kurenai had gone through. Kiba and Akamaru, who'd been on the retrieval team, had taken the blow personally, as if they'd been the ones to let the blonde down. Shino, having been away for training with his father, couldn't help but feel powerless at not being there to help, wondering if he could have at least assisted in lightening his teammate's burden.

And then there was Hinata.

Asuma had seen many saddening things in his time but the sight of the mourning Hyuuga heiress had shaken his faith in the shinobi world harder than anything, even the sacking of the Nijuu Shotai. Kurenai actually had to insist the girl move in with her for a while until she was certain Hinata wasn't going to try anything drastic, to which Hiashi steadfastly agreed. The Hyuuga patriarch had only just gotten his family back, and wasn't about to risk losing it again.

But Hinata had surprised them all by getting over her mourning with surprising quickness after a week, simply thanking Kurenai, albeit warmly, before returning to the Hyuuga estates. Once there she'd hurled herself back into the Jyuken training exercises, until even Neji was forced to pull out all the stops. The prodigy still won the majority their spars apparently, but it was always a near thing, and even he had to admit that Hinata's movements were infinitely more graceful than his own.

Soon, all of the remaining members of Naruto's genin class, including Gai's cell, had picked up on the heiress' determination, and threw themselves into their training with a zeal their surprised their parents. Shikamaru had rapidly climbed the ranks until he was a jounin in all but rank, and the official strategist for the Konoha military council. Chouji and Ino had mastered their family styles and were actually improving on them, and the budding romance between the two had bound their clans tighter together, much to their fathers' glee.

Kiba and Akamaru had developed their teamwork and tracking skills to the point even Kakashi and his Hachi-ninken could barely keep up with them, claiming that there wasn't a spot in the whole of fire country they hadn't explored. Shino, while as taciturn as ever, had expanded his colony till the point he was, literally, a one man swarm. Asuma had seen the teen in action once, standing in the midst of a field of black, as his beetles feasted off the chakra of an entire battalion of invading shinobi.

And Gai's cell…well, they'd always, technically, been the best at what they did for their age, but now they were dominating their fields utterly. Neji's mastery of Jyuken had the Hyuuga elders muttering in discontent, unable to act on their outdated opinions because He'd been taken under Hiashi's wing. Tenten, pushed onwards by Tsunade's return, strove to master her craft until not only was she good at hurling kunai and the like, but it took guts to come near with anything other than a mastery of whatever melee weapon you had one you.

And as for Lee, hell if Gai wasn't crying tears of joy at his protégé surpassing him he was crying tears of grief that he could no longer keep up with the teen. The kid was a godsend to those with similar conditions, helping out at the academy when not on missions, encouraging those with less than stellar Genjutsu or Ninjutsu that they could become Shinobi if they put their all into it.

"There's the border!" Ebisu yelled, only to pull up short as several figures, wearing what looked like grass Hitai-ate and the standard grass hats kusa-nin liked to sport, leapt out in front of them, swords at the ready and threatening looks on their faces. It seemed they'd found their escort.

"I'll handle this…" Ebisu offered, stepping forwards and clearing his throat politically, pushing up his glasses as he spoke "Good evening sirs, we are from your allied nation of Konoha, here to lend our skills to the aid of your village in it's time of need."

"Border papers?" one chunnin asked, holding out a hand expectantly, earning looks of disbelief from the group "Just following protocol, you think this is the first time people have snuck in? Gotta make sure we're escorting the RIGHT backup."

"But of course." Ebisu agreed, sending a warning glare towards a sarcastic Shikamaru and an impatient Konohamaru, before rifling around in his pockets with a growing frown "Let's see…where did I put them…?"

'This could take a while…' Shikamaru noted numbly, watching with growing exasperation as Ebisu emptied the contents of his pockets for all to see…and showed no sign of stopping any time soon "Mendokuse..."

Back in Kusagakure, the shocked onlookers looked on in disbelief as Ryuma, still under the transformation of his Tenfuuin, rolled around on the dirt, his arms tucked into his armpits as he continued to scream.

"Did...did he just…" the guard captain stammered, looking at the blonde figure that was staring coldly down at the former invader, the man's severed hands clenched between said blonde's fists like gaudy Halloween ornaments "What kind of strength-?!"

"Well Ryuma-san DID challenge him openly." Karasu pointed out smugly, though he had to admit he was a little amazed at the feat of strength Koryu had just pulled off. Superhuman or not, the human body wasn't so fragile as to be ripped apart like a paper bag.

Koryu had merely squeezed the man's wrists until they'd exploded from the pressure, and then held on tight as Ryuma jerked back, the man's struggles effectively severing the limbs without any further effort on Koryu's behalf.

'Truly, Hokuto-Shinken is a merciless art.' The albino assassin noted, a thrill racing over him as his own wrists, and doubtless those of the onlookers, wincing in sympathy for Ryuma's suffering 'I doubt even I would have the stomach t face it twice…let alone attempt it.'

"My…MY HANDS!" Ryuma howled, rolling awkwardly from onto his knees, his head pressed into the dirt as he tucked his bleeding stumps under his armpits to both stem the bleeding and attempt to numb the pain "YOU TOOK MY HANDS!"

"Man distinguishes himself from beasts by being able to use tools to subvert them to his will." Koryu intoned, glaring down at the pathetic form before him "You, who are less than even a beast, have no right to such a luxury."

Ryuma glared at him, his fangs clenching to the point his gums were beginning to bleed, steam rising off him as he inhaled a great gout of air through his teeth and nostrils. "So I'm less than a beast am I?" he muttered, rising awkwardly to his feet, stumbling half way but managing it with a stagger "What am I then? Shit?"

"Yeah…" Koryu nodded, his eyes cold as he beheld the beaten, haggard form before him disdainfully, even as he noticed the remaining invaders backing away further from the fight, fear in their eyes "Even less then shit."

"So I'm shit am I?" the tenfuuin user chuckled, a hint of madness in his voice, even as he reared back and opened his mouth wide "WELL THEN AT LEAST I'M HOT SHIT!"

Even as the flames erupted from the cowards maw, Koryu was already leaping overhead, arms held out for balance as he soared through the air with the grace of a bird in flight, landing behind Ryuma in a ready stance. A swift knee to the spine arched the man's back, sending the plume of fire heavenwards, Koryu whirling round to the front, his fists already a blur of motion as he pummeled the Tenfuuin bearer mercilessly.

"ATA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TAH!"

A fierce left hook to the jaw sent Ryuma spiraling into a wall, leaving a sizeable crater as he slumped against it. The Demon shook himself, a little dazed from the blow, glaring up at Koryu and opening his mouth to renew his flaming assault, only to choke as he realized, far too late, that not only was his chakra still building in his throat…but he couldn't breath out.

"Feeling a bit choked up are we?" Koryu asked, walking up to the struggling monster without fear "I struck the Hiko-Tsubo, Zenchou…it closes off your throat, allowing nothing to escape."

"Ghk…hlp…meghk…" Ryuma managed out, gouts of flame appearing from his nostrils and tear ducts, his throat working desperately as his chest expanded from the buildup of chakra. His eyes widened as Koryu turned away, staggering forward, only to unleash a hellish scream as flames erupted from his eyes, ears and every other orifice of his body, reducing his struggling body to a stumbling, char-grilled husk within moments.

"Rekka…" Koryu intoned, not looking back as Ryuma's remains crashed into the earth, dust and smoke trailing into the air "Gyakuryūken!"

The remaining bandits, watching on in horror as their leader was reduced to cinders, let out screams of terror, throwing down their weapons and making for the hills, many of them screaming about the 'Demon of the whirlpool!', even as the villagers, after a moment's realization raced to free the children from their cage, swarming around the man occasionally offering a brief look of awed terror as he walked away from the battlefield that had once been a playground.

A patch of what had once been a fine kimono fluttered through the air, before burning to a crisp on the breeze.

And that pretty much ends Koryu's adventures in Kusagakure...well not exactly, he still has to try to leave after all.

And what of the back-up teams from Konoha? Will they make it in time to verify their suspicions? Or will Ebisu's bumbling slow them down?

Notes:

Katon: Ryuujinha; Fire Style: Flowing Dragon Wave: Basically a glorified version of Sandaime's Karyuu Endan (Dragon Napalm)

Rekka Gyakuryūken: Raging Flame Reverse Flow Fist. First used by Ken against a filler character, it basically does what was just described, closing off the throat so no air, or fire can escape. You can still breath IN, just not OUT.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own NARUTO, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR or any other copyrighted material within this story. From this chapter on, it's all me and I apologize for the long wait you all had to endure._

Chapter 9

"We can't thank you enough," The Jounin captain said.

"Don't worry about it," Koryu assured the man.

The village had suffered minor damage in the wake of the Oto attack but it was nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix. Koryu's mind went back to that Oto-nin with the 'Tenfuuin' as it was called. He knew he had seen that mark and it's vile power someplace before or at least something relatively close to it.

Several of the academy students were present among the crowd, all with adoring eyes aimed at their savior. Not too far away, a few kids were playing a reenactment of last night. Koryu silently chuckled at one of them having a spiral drawn oh his chest making exaggerated heroic poses.

"We'd still liked to assist you, is there anything we can do?"

The blonde man almost dismissed the offer but then one idea had come to mind.

"This might sound strange but, do you know of a girl with blue hair and pale eyes?"

"Pale eyes?"

"Yes, like the moon."

The captain cupped his chin in thought, it was an odd question indeed.

"I'm sorry but that person doesn't sound familiar."

"I see, thank you anyway."

"Excuse me, sir!"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice, it was the seamstress, carrying a bundle in her arms. She paused a moment to catch her breath before holding out the bundle before Koryu, who took it in his hands.

"I finished the robe, I'm pretty sure that you'll find it to your liking."

The blonde unraveled the bundle to reveal to the crowd one of the most beautiful robe's they had ever seen. Everyone awed and whistled at the incredible workmanship of the cloth.

"It is truly marvelous."

"Think of it as my way of showing my gratitude for taking care of the bandits. This robe may very well be my masterpiece," The tailor spoke with pride and a degree of smugness.

The two bowed once more and went on their way. The albino assassin looked back at the Jounin captain then return to his companion.

"Why did you ask about that?" Karasu asked.

"You mean what I asked the captain?"

Karasu nodded in response. The blonde man was silent for a few seconds as he gazed into the morning sky.

"There was a reason why I like looking at the full moon. Every time I see it, I see images of a person with blue hair and pale eyes but it never lasts long enough for me to make out her face."

"What makes you so sure it's a girl you see?"

"Something me tells me that this person is a girl."

"You think this girl may be connected to your missing past?"

"Possibly, I believe that if I can find this person, maybe she can tell me who I am."

The two then disappeared into the horizon, away from the villagers' sight.

* * *

The surviving Oto-nin had gathered in clearing a few miles away from Kusa. Many were still licking their wounds from the botched raid.

"Damn that man. Just what the hell is he?"

Many of the bandits were grumbling curses. One looked down the road and saw a possible opportunity; a lone person in a cloak was approaching.

"Hey guys, we might be able to salvage something from this foul up."

All the other nin turned their attention to the cloaked individual slowly walking towards them. They chuckled sinisterly at the thought of at least not going away empty-handed. They then bolted for a hiding place.

The cloaked stranger casually walked down the path without neither a care nor idea of those that lurked in waiting.

"Alright punk, hand over anything of value and just maybe we won't kill you!"

The person sized up the nin gathered around with an aloof air, as though they were more of an annoyance than a serious threat. The stranger's silence and inaction began to wear on the nerves of the Oto-nin.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? I said give us everything you got or you're gonna die!"

The stranger snorted before speaking out in a deep voice, indicating that it was a man.

"I have nothing to give to filth like you."

The nin's face contorted into a look of rage.

"Are you trying to piss me off, you little shit? Cuz' it's working."

The hooded man lashed his hand out in a swiping motion in front of the Oto-nin's face. He spun around and crossed both arms then swiftly swiped at the others around him, missing by an inch. He then stood there, not looking at the leader behind him. The surrounding bandits stared in quiet confusion before the one who threatened the stranger began to laugh. The others then started to join in while the hooded man remained silent.

"What was that, some poor ass attempt to scare me?" the lead bandit said before resuming his laughing.

"Hardly"

Suddenly, the man's vision split into four sections. The nin's head then slid off his shoulders and into four pieces on the ground. The others that were closest to the mystery man had the upper sections of each of their bodies slide off onto the ground, seemingly cut by some invisible blades. The would-be bandits backed away in fear.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"SHIT! HE'S JUST LIKE THAT BLONDE GUY!"

'_Blonde guy?'_ the cloaked man thought.

"RUN!"

The remaining nin fled in terror. The stranger grabbed one by the collar of his kimono, preventing him from escaping.

"I have a few questions for you."

* * *

"Halt, state your name and business."

"We are the back-up sent from Konoha," Shikamaru answered for the group.

"You're late."

Everyone turned to the one spoke, the guard captain.

"There were some… complications," Shikamaru told the Kusa-nin while everyone else eyed Ebisu accusingly.

"Well, because of these 'complications', the whole thing's over now."

"And the Oto remnants?"

"Most of them are dead while the survivors ran off."

The air around the blond Yamanaka girl became deadly. She whipped around and planted a chakra infused fist right across Ebisu's jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"DAMNIT! BECAUSE OF YOUR BUMBLING, WE MISSED THE WHOLE THING!"

Ino ceased her rant to note that Ebisu was now grinning perversely. Judging from the angle, she had a pretty good where exactly he was looking. Righteous fury burned brightly in her eyes as she reared her foot back.

"AND QUIT LOOKING UP MY SKIRT!"

Ebisu was sent thirty feet away by a vicious kick from Ino. Moegi stared at her in adoration while her two male teammates winced at their teacher's painful predicament. Shikamaru attempted to change the subject before his blonde teammate went over the top.

"You were able to drive them off?"

"No, they were driven off mostly by two Rurouni."

"Rurouni?"

"Yeah, one was a man with white hair and the way he moved, you'd think he was a ghost. The other was a man who used this bizarre taijutsu. "

The eight Konoha nin froze at the mention of 'bizarre taijutsu.'

"Bizarre taijutsu?" Shikamaru echoed.

"Yeah, he did these attacks that looked completely harmless at first but then, BLAM! Their bodies exploded."

The two teams grimaced at the description.

"Can you tell me the description of this taijutsu expert?"

"Yeah, he was a big guy, about 6'5". He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He also had these-" the Kusa-nin traced three fingers over his cheeks as he search in his mind for the right term he was looking for.

"6 whisker marks on his cheeks?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, that's it. You know him?"

"We're investigating him. We believe he may be someone we lost."

"Was name by any chance Koryu?" Asuma added.

"Yes, that's right. I still can't figure out how he managed to do those things he did with just Taijutsu, I never seen anything like it."

"Did anyone manage to get the name of his style?"

The captain thought for a bit.

"It was something called Hokuto Shinken."

"Hokuto Shinken?"

"That's right, at least that's what that other guy said."

"Koryu's companion?"

The Kusa-nin shook his head, "No, it was another guy, he wore a cloak. He showed up around here and left about maybe an hour ago."

"Do you know where this other man went?"

"Same way as the other two."

"Is there anything else you can tell us? Where they were headed or something they were looking for?" Shikamaru asked.

"Just something the guy said. He asked if I knew anything about a an blue-haired pale-eyed girl."

Ino's eyebrows furrowed at the description the captain had given them. "Why does that ring a bell?" Her eyes went wide as realization dawned upon her.

"HINATA!"

Everyone looked at the blonde girl in surprise and confusion.

"What?" Chouji asked.

"The pale-eyed girl, he's looking for Hinata!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, it did make sense, Hinata was the only one they could think of who fit the description. Though they still needed more information before they could come to any kind of conclusion. Asuma then returned his attention to the guard captain.

"May we use one of your messenger hawks? We'd like to report this as soon as possible to the Hokage."

The captain was a little surprised but nodded in approval. The two teams huddled then together.

"We'll all split up and ask around, see if we can get any further information on Koryu," Shikamaru stated.

"Alright, let's meet back here in an hour then we'll send our report. Afterwards, we'll stay and help secure the village."

Everyone nodded and split off in different directions.

* * *

Suigetsu checked all around, making sure he wasn't followed, before entering the inn. He passed the lady at the desk, ignoring her greeting. He came to his destination and entered to find his companions sitting around the room. Sasuke was the first to greet him… sort of.

"Did you find out about anything?"

"Nothing about your brother if that's what you mean. There was talk coming out of Kusa."

Sasuke softly snarled and turned away, not caring about the grass village.

"Did anything interesting happen there?" He heard Karin ask.

"It appears some remnants of Oto tried to raid Kusagakure but they ended up being driven off."

"Of course they would get driven off, Kusa may not be one of the major villages but they are a force to be reckoned with. What they did was just plain stupid," Karin snorted.

"They attacked while a majority of Kusa's Jounin were away. Also, Ryuma was leading them."

"Ryuma? If he was involved then I can only pity the poor fools."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"Ryuma was a candidate to be one of the new Otogo after they were all killed. He's a twisted son of a bitch who enjoys torturing people in the worst way possible. Some used to say he was worse then Orochimaru," Karin explained.

"That's the thing, Ryuma was killed."

"Killed? By who?"

"A wandering Taijutsu specialist, someone they're calling the 'Demon of the Whirlpool.' My information says he killed Ryuma as well as many of his best men with only taijutsu."

Sasuke's interest was now officially piqued.

"Did you catch the name of his style?"

"All I know about it _is_ its name: Hokuto Shinken."

"Divine Fist of the North Star? Never heard of it."

Karin could hear Sasuke mumble 'dumb name' or something along those lines. She returned her attention back to the largest of the group.

"What about his name?"

"He never gave his name."

"Then what about a description?"

"He's a big guy, about 6'5", blonde hair, blue eyes, a whirlpool scar on his chest and whisker marks on his cheeks."

Upon hearing the man's description, Sasuke's eyes went wide and his body became rigid.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked uncharacteristically uneasy.

Surprised by the dark-haired boy's sudden and eager curiosity, Suigetsu only nodded. The dark-haired avenger then walked away to a more secluded spot. His three companions looked at one another in surprised bewilderment. Though his face showed an expression of calm, Sasuke's mind, however, was a torrent of shock and a little bit of anger.

'_It's impossible, he's dead! I killed him myself! It can't be him!'_

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade had just finished another stack of paperwork. She thought this might be a good time for a little sake break and pulled open a secret drawer with a small bottle inside. Just as she pulled the cork free, there was a knock at the door. Quickly, she replaced the cork and hid the bottle.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Kurenai Yuuhi, back from Wave.

"Kurenai, welcome back. How did the mission go?"

"Relatively easy. My team and were expecting some conflict but you know as well as I about what happened before we got there."

The Hokage nodded, "Speaking of which, did you or your team find anything about 'him?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. The guards said that when he arrived, they put him in a cell without any complaints from him. When there was an attack, he busted out by bending the bars with his bare hands."

Tsunade wasn't too shocked about such a thing; she could do that too. Some other shinobi could also with a little more effort. But the part with this Koryu being arrested without any kind of hassle; that didn't sound like Naruto at all. He'd shout and struggle like crazy. Before the red-eyed Jounin could continue, another knock was heard.

"Just a moment, Kurenai. Come in."

Shizune then entered.

"Tsunade-sama, another messenger hawk from Kusa has arrived."

"Now what?"

* * *

Konoha cemetery, many shinobi had been laid to rest on these grounds. The late Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen who had mastered over a thousand jutsu, earning him the nickname "The Professor" and the late Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato who had single-handedly forced back enemy advances and defeated the dreaded Kyuubi no Youko.

It is here that we find Hinata. She noted that there was a rose before a particular headstone. She kneeled down and ran her hand over the name on the said stone. Over the years, she had spent countless hours training and refining her skills until she had a formidable kunoichi. Many had claimed that her skills in Jyuuken had surpassed all that had come before her. She had never seen her father so shocked and so proud of her. They also say that the only thing on par with her abilities was her beauty. For some time, she had many would be suitors and she turned down each and every one, they were all pigs looking for a trophy wife in her eyes. Her heart belonged to only one boy and she was staring at his name on the memorial stone.

Uzumaki Naruto

She came here once a week to pay her respects since he didn't have any family to come see him. If he did, they either didn't care or didn't even know he existed. On occasion, she caught Kakashi standing here before she got here. Nevertheless, she comes to see him, especially on this day. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of orange fabric. She remembered the day she got it. It, too, was on this day.

* * *

(Flashback)

_A 13 year-old Hinata sat quietly in the hospital waiting room with a bouquet of get-well flowers. Not too long ago, her teammate Kiba had come back with deep gash in his side. Akamaru had suffered some lacerations on his legs but both were expected to pull through. Her cousin arrived earlier with a hole right through his torso. Lee had just arrived with a few cut and bruises, not to mention a nasty hangover. Shikamaru came back with minimalist damage; a broken finger. And finally Chouji was suffering from exhaustion due to using the Akimichi clan's special trio pills. Now the only who had yet to come back was her secret crush, Naruto. Her eyes caught Tsunade exiting the emergency room down the hall. Kakashi then appeared before the slug sannin, Hinata saw this as an opportunity to find out which room her crush was in._

"_Welcome back, Kakashi. Where's Naruto and Sasuke?"_

"_Sasuke had managed to escape. As for Naruto, well…" Kakashi's mood turned to one of gloom, "He was nowhere to be found. The area was completely shredded and residual chakra still hung in the air. Pakkun found some blood on the ground, he confirmed it was Naruto's."_

"_Kakashi, are you telling me that…" Tsunade asked, fearing the worst._

"_Yes, Uzumaki Naruto… was killed in action."_

_They heard a gasp down the hall. There they saw the Hyuuga heiress, eyes wide in horror and disbelief, the bouquet dropped on the floor. _

"_No, that can't be. It has to be a mistake."_

_The cycloptic jounin held out his hand, in it was piece of torn fabric. No one needed to say what it was or where it was from, Hinata could tell from the instant that she saw it. It was piece of the sleeve from Naruto's orange jacket._

"_I'm sorry, Hinata. He's gone."_

"_No. No. NO! NO, NO, NO, NO! YOU'RE LYING! IT'S NOT TRUE! HE CAN"T BE GONE! HE CAN"T BE DEAD! IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S NOT TRUE! It's not true," Hinata sobbed, banging her fists on Kakashi's chest._

_Kakashi and Tsunade didn't say anything as the young girl sink to the ground as she wailed and bawled her poor heart out. The blonde Hokage knelt down and wrapped her in her arms for comfort. The one-eyed Jounin noticed a few tears fall from Tsunade's eyes as well._

* * *

Hinata didn't eat or sleep for many days. She had felt completely destroyed inside. Her friends and many members of her clan became worried, believing she may have given up the will to live. Kakashi had given her what remained of Naruto's jacket as a keepsake. She always kept it with her, like she could always draw strength from his spirit. Fortunately, she recovered and threw herself into her training. Her progress had astounded many within and outside her clan. In response, her teammates and comrades followed suit.

Speaking of which, Sasuke had been branded as a traitor and B-class criminal. Many of his supporters tried to get the listing off but Tsunade would have none of it. Even the elders were on her side and they're usually butting heads with her. The reason was simple, he crossed the line when he killed a Konoha shinobi. Things only got worse for the last of the Uchiha clan. When they had revealed the contents of the tablet found at the Uchiha clan complex, no one could argue with the facts anymore and Sasuke was labeled kill on sight. Deep down she wanted to be the one to end the Uchiha's life for what he did.

However, the recent mission to Wave had surprised her with a shocking revelation; Naruto was alive. Kiba and Akamaru checked for a scent where this 'Koryu' person was being held. They went over it several times and there was no doubt, it was Naruto's. They asked everyone whom he spoke to and who had seen him, every one of them matched up to the blonde's description. It sparked something within she thought had long died.

'_Naruto-kun, is it really you? Are you really alive? Please… send me a sign… anything.'_

Hinata's hand then slid down until it was gently placed on the rose before the stone. She gasped when she felt her finger prick on one of the thorns and instinctively whipped her finger up to her mouth to soothe the injury. Her eyes wandered back to the Naruto's grave marker. A few drops of blood had splattered across the memorial stone, seven to be exact. It was the way they splattered that confused Hinata. They didn't streak like normal; they were like red dots. They were arranged vertically in an unusual way, like the stars of the Big Dipper.

* * *

Koryu gazed up at the sky. His thoughts trailing back to that mystery girl that haunted his mind.

"So Koryu-dono, any thoughts on where you wish to go next?" the albino assassin asked.

Koryu snapped out of his reverie

"I was thinking of heading to Sunagakure."

"That's quite a way's away, any particular reason why there?"

"You said yourself that it's the second strongest Shinobi power."

Karasu nodded, "That I did."

"I feel there may be someone there who might give me some answers regarding my past."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm not sure, it could be instinct I guess."

An image of young boy with red hair flashed before his eyes. And like all those before, the image vanished as soon as it came.

"I see, then let us press on."

They traveled for a good hour before a man's voice called out.

"I thought it would be much harder to find you. You practitioners of Hokuto Shinken aren't exactly subtle."

The duo turned towards the voice. About seven feet away stood a man garbed in a brown cloak.

"Been a long time, Koryu."

The cloaked stranger pulled back his hood, revealing a young man in his early twenties. Long silver hair trailed down his back. Red eyes looked into Koryu's blue ones as recognition dawned in his mind.

"Shinrei?"

Karasu looked at his blond companion, "You know him?"

"He and I used to spar during training in our styles."

"Styles?"

"Yes, he is a student of the only style that rivals mine."

Shinrei snorted, "You mean 'master' of the only style that rivals your Hokuto Shinken; Nanto Seiken."

* * *

A/N: Again, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I had ideas but got a little caught up with my King Cometh story's popularity and Life. Thankfully, after buying Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage for my Xbox 360, I've been inspired to write this again. You shouldn't have to wait too long for the next chapter; it's already in the works.

**Translations:**

Nanto Seiken: Sacred Fist of the South Star


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own NARUTO or FIST OF THE NORTH STAR. _

Chapter 10

The two men stared down one another, as if silently daring the other to make the first move. The two then jumped into the air at the same time and moved to high kick the other. The strikes blocked each other and the fighters dropped to the ground. Whipping around, they dashed at their opponent, Koryu with his clenched fist while the newcomer, Shinrei, came with a knife hand strike. The two attacks came to a screeching halt, stopping mere centimeters away from their opponent's face.

The two warriors stared each other down for a good minute before a smirk grew on their lips and the two embraced like brothers.

"Good to see you, old friend."

"Likewise. I didn't expect to find you out here, Koryu, especially this quickly. Did you ever find that moon girl of yours?"

"No, not yet."

Off to the side, Karasu stared at the two friends, albeit a little bewildered. Only a moment ago, they looked ready to tear each other's throats out. Shinrei took note of the albino's confusion and turned back to his friend.

"Is he with you?" he asked referring to Karasu.

"Yeah, He's sort of my guide around the Elemental Nations."

"Really? Well, I hope he doesn't mind one more along for the ride."

"Why are you out here, anyway?"

"Like you, I'm looking for someone, my younger brother."

"I see."

Shinrei nodded solemnly and remain quiet for a moment or two. He then turned to the albino.

"Anyway, where are you guys headed?"

"Towards Sunagakure in Wind Country," Karasu said, feeling he was silent for long enough. "The fastest way there is through River Country."

"Well then," Shinrei patted his two new companions on the back. "I guess we shouldn't dawdle now, huh?"

And the trio set off.

* * *

The Hokage's eyes fell on all those within the council chamber. On the long table on her left sat the shinobi clan heads of the village: Hyuuga Hiashi, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Aburame Shibi, and Inuzuka Tsume. They were usually only here in case a Hokage passed any law or such to see what kind of effect it would have on their respective families. On the one on her right were the cabinet chiefs of the village. Some were civilian and some were ex-shinobi. Their job was to keep record of the village's Resources, Health and Wellness, Commerce, Education, Foreign Affairs, and Community Affairs. Tsunade rarely saw them so keeping track of their names weren't much of a high need on her list. Finally, on the other side of the room were the division leaders in charge of Konoha's Intelligence, Armory, and Personnel.

"Thank you all for coming," Tsunade addressed the group before her.

They all nodded in response and the monthly council meeting began. The clan heads went first, announcing any new births, deaths or bringing any kind issues they were having difficulty with. Next were the cabinet chiefs, bringing their monthly reports on their respective cabinets. The division leaders brought forth their reports on any kind of activity on possible threats followed by statistics on active and available troops on Konoha's roster.

"Alright, if there is no further business, then we shall adjourn," Tsunade said.

"Just a moment, Hokage-sama. There's one last thing I'd like to discuss."

Everyone turned to the speaker, one Hyuuga Hiashi.

"What would that be, Hiashi-sama?"

"It has come to my attention that there have been a few reports of a man that has appeared out of nowhere, recently. A man known only as Koryu who possesses an unusual taijutsu style, have you heard of him?"

Tsunade grimaced, she had been hoping to gather more info before making anything known but now that was shot to hell.

"Yes, I am aware of such a person. He appeared first in Wave and single-handedly drove off a band of tosei-nin. Then he recently appeared again in Kusagakure and killed a number of Oto-nin, one of which was bore a Tenfuuin, something that is rather difficult to defeat, especially with just using taijutsu. Where he is now is unknown."

The council members mumbled with one another.

"To defeat an opponent like that with just taijutsu, the person would have to be incredibly powerful. What do we know about this person's style?" asked Inoichi.

"Not much I'm afraid. I've searched through many historic texts to see if their had been further information but no luck. That's why I have already -"

Before she could continue, there was knock at the door.

"Enter!"

An Anbu walked in calmly and quickly moved to Tsunade's side. He bent down and whispered into her ear. She then turned back to him and said something no one caught. The Anbu nodded and left.

"As I was saying before, I have already called in someone who may be able to shed some light on this. The Anbu had just informed me that he's arrived."

There was another knock on the door. Tsunade gave the 'Enter' order and, to their mild surprise, was greeted by Maito Gai. They quickly understood why she had called for him.

"Jounin Maito Gai, I've called you away from your post because you're familiar with a number of different Taijutsu styles, correct?"

"Hai Tsunade-sama, is there any in particular you wish to know of?" He asked with proud smile.

"Then are you familiar with a style known as Hokuto Shinken?"

Gai tensed and his grin fell. All those around felt the uneasiness, is this Hokuto Shinken really something to be feared?

"Yes, I've heard of it," Gai began. "From what I understand, it is an ancient style that pre-dates our village, the Elemental Nations, even the tale of the Rikudo Sennin and perhaps even the Bijuu."

"It's that old?"

"Yes it's over two thousand years old and in that time it has never been defeated by a different style. Some say that the gods themselves created it. It is passed down from master to single heir. It is said that the main focus of the technique is to attack the enemy's tsubo, turning their bodies against them and effectively destroying them from the inside. I'm afraid I don't know anything else beyond that"

"How is it that you've come to know of it?"

"When I was still in training, my shishou warned me of it but I always thought it was just a myth. A style such as Hokuto Shinken seemed almost too surreal to actually exist. He often told me of one warrior who wielded that legendary fist, a man with seven scars on his chest. I believe the man was known as Kenshiro."

"From the way he described it, the closest way to compare would be the Hyuuga Jyuuken."

Many around the table began to mutter amongst themselves at this revelation.

"While this man's style sounds truly impressive, what drew my attention was the man's description. He is around early to mid twenties, 6 feet 5 inches tall, blond hair, blue eyes, a whirlpool scar on his chest and 6 whisker marks on his cheeks."

Everyone suddenly went still.

"Hokage-sama, is Hiashi-sama implying that this Koryu person is Uzumaki Naruto?" The Aburame head asked.

The blond woman sighed in exasperation.

"It is a strong possibility. Kurenai's team had started investigating him after his appearance in Wave. Upon first arriving, he was imprisoned under suspicion of being a Tosei-nin. Inuzuka Kiba had inspected the cell where he was contained and confirmed that Naruto's scent was present and several hours old. I was hoping not to bring it up until we had confirmed that He is indeed Naruto."

"Why is that?"

"If this Koryu is no doubt Uzumaki Naruto, then where has he been for the past ten years? Where did he learn this Hokuto Shinken? There is so little we know about him."

"If it is him, why is it that he hasn't returned to Konoha?"

"That I have an answer for. While in Wave, Team Kurenai began the initial investigation on Koryu. The mayor's grandson stated that Koryu was in search of his past. This might mean he hasn't returned because he either has never been here before or he's lost a great deal of his memory."

"He has amnesia?"

"That's what the signs point to."

"How did we learn of his particular style?" asked Inoichi.

"Several days ago, a team was dispatched to Kusa to aid in the repel of the Oto-nin. However, they arrived too late and Koryu had already driven them off. Sarutobi Asuma had sent a report via messenger hawk that the man had left an hour before arriving. The report could only describe what the style was called and from witnesses who described what happened to those on the receiving end of it."

The various Council members talked amongst themselves up until Tsunade called for silence.

"His abilities aside, until we can gather more information, we cannot confirm nor deny whether or not this person is Uzumaki Naruto."

The blonde Hokage then called the meeting adjourned.

"Just a moment, Hyuuga-sama."

The Hyuuga head turned back to Tsunade.

"There was an interesting piece of information within the report; many of the Kusa-nin had told the teams that Koryu was looking for, and I quote, 'a blue haired girl with pale-eyes like the moon.' If I'm not mistaking, that sounds a lot like your eldest daughter, Hiashi."

"Yes it does."

"I'd like to bring her in for some questioning."

Hiashi looked at her, a little confused.

"If Koryu and Naruto are indeed the same person, I'd like to know how and why is it that he remembers Hinata more prominently than anyone else."

"Hard to say, It's to my understanding the two had very limited interaction."

"That's why I'd like to question her. Something happened between those two and she may know the answer."

Hiashi nodded in understanding and Tsunade summoned an ANBU to go find said girl and someone else.

* * *

Hinata trekked through the streets of the village in a slight daze. Her mind kept going back to what happened in the cemetery. None of it made sense, she barely cut her finger on a thorn and yet it was enough to nick a vessel. Then there was the pattern the blood splattered in. Why would it take on the arrangement of the Big Dipper when it should've gone in an arcing line?

She was so immersed in thoughts that she failed to realize she had just arrived outside Ichiraku. Ayame poked her head out from behind the flaps and waved.

"Hey there, Hinata, come on in. What can I get for you?"

The Ichiraku hadn't changed much in the ten years since "that day." Teuchi no longer did the cooking, what with his age and the arthritis. Hinata gazed up sadly at the menu overhead. In the center was a photo of the young blond who stole her heart. The ramen girl noticed where the Hyuuga Heiress was looking and could easily tell where she was looking.

"Things really haven't been the same since…" Ayame tried to finish but both girls knew it wasn't needed.

Hinata nodded.

"I miss him so much."

The two women stood there in silence. Anyone walking by could almost feel the somber mood in the air…

"Hello Hinata-hime."

Which was utterly killed by a new voice, one Hinata hated because she knew exactly whom it belonged to.

'_Oh no, not him. Why now of all times?'_ She grimaced and turned to face the 'pest.'

Kobashi Shinichiro, a high-ranking noble from Waterfall Country and the most stubborn of all of Hinata's wannabe suitors. He had almost constantly pestered her for her hand in marriage, even going as far as try to talk her father into setting up a betrothal, even tried to bribe him. He was also the most detestable of them all as well. He has on several occasions greatly insulted all her friends, calling Chouji a fat pig despite the fact that he himself was well over three times the Akimichi's size and weight. What a hypocrite. Then there were the various rumors that he runs his large village with an iron fist; taxing them to the point of poverty, taking whatever girl catches his fancy regardless if they're already married or not.

Hinata had expressed to her clan that while she may have declined his offer on personal interests, she went on about the political issues that would spare the clan due to the rumors around the man. Fortunately, many saw her side of it but the man wouldn't quit.

The obese lord eyed the ramen stand in open disgust, as if it wasn't worthy to even stand. This didn't go unnoticed by Ayame who was sorely tempted to grab the meat cleaver.

"I came to see if you had changed your mind."

"No, I have not changed my mind and I never will."

"I'm still a little unclear as to why you turn me down so harshly. Is there something about me that offends you?"

"Where do I start?" she said under her breath so no one could hear.

Any further conversation was halted when a masked member of the ANBU appeared in a flurry of leaves.

"Hyuuga Hinata, Hokage-sama has requested to meet with you."

'_Saved by ANBU!'_

She almost cried tears of joy but composed herself. She then gave Kobashi a curt farewell and left. As he watched her leave, his eyes narrowed lustfully.

"You can't deny me forever, my dear. One way or another, I always get what I want."

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Hinata."

"No problem, Hokage-sama."

She turned her gaze from the Hokage to around the room to see six Anbu, Yamanaka Inoichi and her father.

"I'm sure you're curious as to why I've asked you here."

The girl simply nodded in response, feeling a bit nervous.

"No need to be concerned, you're not in any trouble. We just want to ask you a few questions."

* * *

"So this Nanto Seiken style is actually a collection of completely different styles?" Karasu asked.

"Not exactly. There are, or were, 108 sects of Nanto and while there are minor and major differences in each sect, they all revolve around the same basic principle." Answered Shinrei.

"And that is?"

"I don't want to give too much away but I will say that my style works the opposite way that Koryu's does."

"I see. Now, if there are 108 sects, which one do you belong to?"

"Mine is known as Nanto Suicho Ken."

Any further chatter came to a halt when the trio came to a stop on a hill overlooking a large village with an equally large marina on the water. Karasu stepped forward.

"That's Sengen village, it's one of the largest ports in River country."

The two other warriors kept their eyes trained on the settlement.

"From there, we can catch a ferry to take us as close as possible to Wind Country."

Finished with Karasu's 'lesson', the trio then continued onward to their destination.

* * *

As the three walked down the main street of Sengen, they took notice of all the various establishments: restaurants, bars, and shops. Another thing they noticed was the severe lack of people. Many of the residential buildings looked to be heavily barricaded, as if they were expecting an attack from an army. There was not a single sign of life; not even the chirps of birds.

"It's quiet… too quiet," Koryu said.

Shinrei and Karasu nodded in agreement. Shinrei then began sniffing the air.

"Anyone else smell that?" he asked.

His two companions did the same. Koryu then spoke:

"I do, it's blood."

"And I'd say that is the source," Karasu added, pointing down a side road.

Scattered across the street were the rotting corpses of at least thirty men. Their lifeblood painting the dirt a dark red, crows were picking at their flesh, and flies buzzing about their decomposing organs.

Each man had look of terror and agony upon their faces, showing that whatever did them in lack even a sliver a of mercy.

Koryu broke the silence of this morbid scene.

"What happened here?"

* * *

A/N: FINALLY! I thought I'd never get this one done. I deeply apologize for taking so long but Life seems to have a habit of throwing curve balls at me for the last six months. My computer went wonky, I had class that kept me away for three weeks.


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